> Another example is TDD. People espouse the benefits, then some study comes along (http://www.neverworkintheory.org/?p=139) saying the benefits are largely illusory and that code reviews are more effective.
The study is much more thoroughly debunked in the comments than I will attempt to reproduce here. Important points:
1) The study's hypothesis was that TDD would produce software with equal, or fewer defects than inspection. That would be one, and depending who you talk to, by no means the most significant benefit of TDD.
2) The actual data collected by the researches showed no statistically significant difference in the two approaches.
Reading studies about the effectiveness of different tools and methods is a great idea. Treating them uncritically is not. :)
The study is much more thoroughly debunked in the comments than I will attempt to reproduce here. Important points: 1) The study's hypothesis was that TDD would produce software with equal, or fewer defects than inspection. That would be one, and depending who you talk to, by no means the most significant benefit of TDD. 2) The actual data collected by the researches showed no statistically significant difference in the two approaches.
Reading studies about the effectiveness of different tools and methods is a great idea. Treating them uncritically is not. :)