...
> Jan, regression is not a test of the level a developer would use to make
> sure his code works. It is merely to make sure the install works on a
> limited number of cases. Having seen zero reports of any numeric
> failures since we installed it, and seeing it takes >10x times longer
> than the other tests, I think it should be paired back. Do we really
> need 10 tests of each complex function? I think one would do the trick.
Whoops. We rely on the regression tests to make sure that previous
behaviors continue to be valid behaviors. Another use is to verify that
a particular installation can reproduce this same test. But regression
testing is a fundamental and essential development tool, precisely
because it covers cases outside the range you might be thinking of
testing as you do development.
As a group, we might tend to underestimate the value of this, which
could be evidenced by the fact that our regression test suite has not
grown substantially more than it has over the years. It could have many
more tests within each module, and bug reports *could* be fed back into
regression updates to make sure that failures do not reappear.
All imho of course ;)
- Thomas
