Testing Modtalk

Abstract

The Modtalk project is an effort to create a production ready tool chain for compiling Smalltalk programs into standalone executables. This development project entailed writing and testing code in a cross development environment, in a target executable environment, and a C based runtime that supports the compiled executable. We discovered that test-driven development supported team communication, focused design efforts, and produced code artifacts that documented the system. In the process, we also discovered that tests were often brittle and would break for a variety of reasons. We identify why some of our tests were brittle and ways in which we responded when tests failed.