Double-Entry Bookkeeping
You may have heard the comparisons of software building with accounting. Accountants create dense, technical records, and utilize the method of double-entry to keep their bookkeeping in order. Every transaction is entered twice so the balance sheet always sums to zero. Accountants check balances frequently, catching mistakes early. A discipline enforced by law in many regions around the world. Test-Driven Development (TDD) is the developers’ double-entry bookkeeping. Writing an executable automated test first and then running it frequently lets developers detect and identify errors immediately, keeping the feedback loop tight, and preventing cascading failures. ...