>Unit tests don't help you code in the same way that a safety net doesn't help you walk a tightrope: this is technically true, but not a helpful statement in reality.
The author mentioned that unit tests are useful to check for broken code, but he's saying TDD doesn't actually help you write better code--that there are plenty of other ways to screw up that unit tests won't catch so the extra cost of writing them ins't worth it (in his opinion).
He's saying that it's an ineffective safety net, not worth the extra time involved setting it up.
I started out as a ruby developer, and I personally think TDD is can be useful, but it's not the panacea that the TDD cargo cult proclaims it is.
The author mentioned that unit tests are useful to check for broken code, but he's saying TDD doesn't actually help you write better code--that there are plenty of other ways to screw up that unit tests won't catch so the extra cost of writing them ins't worth it (in his opinion).
He's saying that it's an ineffective safety net, not worth the extra time involved setting it up.
I started out as a ruby developer, and I personally think TDD is can be useful, but it's not the panacea that the TDD cargo cult proclaims it is.