Release 6.7.4 Stable / 7.0.4 Stable

[Peter W A Wood]

Richmond

> On 10 Apr 2015, at 19:27, Richmond <richmondmathewson at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> I have always thought that the idea of releasing new versions of software was to improve on earlier versions.
> 
> And by "improving" I don't mean ignoring the fact that while you have improved your thing in one area you have
> broken something else.
> 
> Guess I must be wrong.

As far as I’m concerned you are quite correct. Though I can see LiveCode’s dilemma. It was made clear during the Kickstarter campaign that the engine was in need of a lot of attention to be brought into a state where it could provide a solid base for the future. It is apparent that it wasn’t just the code that needed bringing up to date so did its source management, its automation (especially the very complicated build process) and, the most easily overlooked, its testing.

I far as I can tell LiveCode is still using 20th century testing techniques (that you may know by the phrase "suck it and see”) and these do not seem to have changed until recently. LiveCode has developed a test framework for LiveCode Builder and, according to the latest blog, now has just over 500 repeatable tests and, I believe, has started to use static analysis tools to find errors in the C code. I see these as both steps in the right direction but they are small steps at the start of what will be a very long walk. (I help out in the development of the Red programming language. It’s current scope is minute compared with LiveCode, yet it has in excess of 20,000 automated tests.)

Until LiveCode have built up a decent sets of automated tests which test most aspects of LiveCode, the chance of breaking things when introducing new features is going to be high. Yet LiveCode cannot stop introducing new features if it is to survive as a company.

As a result, I believe you and all LiveCoders are right to be wary of each new release and not to rely on it they have tested it themselves.

So how do LiveCoders test their own scripts? I guess using the tried and tested techniques that LiveCode have been using.

I admit that’s what I’ve done with the little LiveCode that I have written so far but I’ve worked out how to write an automated tests of a LiveCode Desktop application. Now I just need to find the time and, more importantly, the discipline to start to do so.

Regards

Peter