Test Driven Developement is a development pratice in which the test are written before the code. The Cycle goes:

1. Write a test, ensure that it fails [RED]
2. Make the smallest possible change to get the test to work [GREEN]
3. Refactor. Simplify the code to eliminate duplication and keep the design clean [REFACTOR]
4. Repeat

The biggest mistake that people make when trying to get into test driven developement is to try to write all of the tests up front. This process is all about small error free steps.
The trick is to keep the tests small and focused. Don’t try to test too much with one test. If they are too fragile then you will spend your entire time rewriting your tests. As I write the tests I oftern find myself with a substantial helper object that performs the common tasks for me. The tests end up as documentation for the system.

Another important thing to remember is that this cycle is the formal version akin to the full blown scientific method:

1. State Hypothesis
2. Design an experiment, then perform it
3. Identify whether Hypothesis is true or false
4. Repeat

In addition if you have a project covered with automated tests adding new ones becomes simpler. It is especially powerful if you need to maintain several branches of a given codebase. If the helper object can keep it’s interface untouched across the streams then the tests can stay largely untouched.

I have sucessfully used this when porting an application from one database to another, but the technique would work in the same mannerif you were to change langauages. The trick is to create an abstract interface to test against. You write helper objects that implement that interface against the old and new systems. You write the tests against the old system and then implement the new in order to get the tests to build.

konfabulator is a free scripting hosting environment.

This is great for those tiny utilities.

Open Workbench is an open source replacement for microsoft project.
It can be freely downloaded from sourceforge.
It fails to mention that you need a Java Runtime Environment installed.
So far it looks OK.

Kathleen Dollard’s CodegendotNet seems to satisfy Generative Programming Generators definition. Generative programming was a book that aimed to set the stage for improvements in productivity. Kathleen Dollard has provided examples to demonstrate how this technology can work. The main problem is that her demo works too well and people are trying to use it as the code generation template.

Here is the overview of codegen as implemneted in an OO-language: here

Here is a useful article about impoving performance by removing while loops and cursors.

Here is the link.

It makes perfect sense for a Public Service broadcaster to use open source.

It would be good to see if the uk government would follow suit.