Java Testing with Spock .introducing #spock #manning #java #book

Well tested code is a concept that many developers talk about every day, lots of great authors write books and articles around it, several tools are being developed that aim to help developers to do it faster and efficiently.

Despite all the above, testing is something like a lost art, many development teams ignore it, do not do it at all, or it is considered as a waste of time! Look no further, poorly tested code (and systems) is one of the major reason that many of our software projects and code fail now-days.

There are a few people that I have worked with all these years, that stick to their principles regarding quality in the code, testing and continuous refactoring. One of them is Kostis Kapelonis, who I had the pleasure to work with a couple of years ago under the same corporate roof, and is actively involved in our small Java community here in Athens.

If the name sounds familiar, then most probably you might have attended one of his many presentations during our local Java User Group here in Athens or red some of his articles in InfoQ. A couple of weeks ago, Kostis sent an email asking for help on reviewing his first draft chapters on an upcoming book, around Spock, another cool and interesting tool, that aims to take it's place ( hopefully) in our every day testing tool set as Java developers.

Despite the fact that I still have not used Spock in my day job (projects), reading these drafts chapters helped me discover a new tool with similar concepts comparing to tools I am already familiar with eg Mockito, Jmock + a yet another reason to study Groovy. I always enjoyed Kostis's presentations and I find his writing simple and clear.

So if you love well tested code, if you love Groovy or you feel that your current testing tool set does not cut it

towards your needs, have a look on

Java Testing with Spock which currently has just entered the MEAP phase in Manning.

Maybe Spock is something you should review and assess, so why not let an expert guide you through the process!

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ps)

I am very very happy and proud that the list with Greek book authors (especially Java freaks, is getting bigger), my other fav one is Patroklos. I hope one day to join them as well!