Microsoft and TestDriven.Net

r_lidopenIt has been over a month since my last update. I just want to put to rest any rumors of TestDriven.Net's early demise. With the help of my lawyers, I responded to Microsoft's lawyers' letter and am now attempting to come to a resolution of the issues. Continuing to play this out on the blogosphere would unnecessarily antagonize the situation and undo the good progress which has been made.

To be clear I am not anti-Microsoft. I am simply a passionate advocate of unit testing for developers of all experience levels. To my mind test driven development is like climbing with ropes. Beginner climbers can gain the confidence to climb without the fear of landing in a mess at the bottom. Expert climbers can take on overhangs and other hard problems that they wouldn't otherwise have the confidence to try. Climb without ropes if you like, but I am certainly not going to encourage it for anything outside your comfort zone.

To end on a happy note the Wells for Zoë charity that many of you supported last year through the .NET Developer's Charity Auction is about to enter a new phase. You can read about the pump workshop which is being set up in Mzuzu, Malawi later this year. There is also a photo blog which is being updated by our guy in the field (when the Internet works). Perhaps the people who suggested I put up a PayPal button to help with legal fees would prefer to save their money for something worthwhile and make a donation here instead. :-)

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19 Comments

  • Thanks for the update, Jamie. And I applaud your decision to avoid commenting further publicly on this issue. I think that there were some people in the blogosphere that may have gotten un-necessarily over-riled up on this issue (not that it's not important), and the vitriol was hampering, not helping, your efforts.

    I hope good news is forthcoming soon, but I await whatever news, patiently.

  • Yeah, good call Jamie. I think u r playing it very sensibly. Hope it works out for the best!

  • I hope it goes well, for all concerned.

  • thanks for the update. Keep strong and dont let the B****** grind you down :) No really hope it all pns out for you

  • Good move on your part, though you pretty clearly are/were anti-Microsoft, from all the complaining about how they took you off their MVP list, then accidentally sent you an invite, only to rescind it. Remember how you chortled here on your blog? Yeah, so do I.

    That said, all the best.

  • Good luck Jamie.

    By the way: are my eyes playing tricks on my brain? This picture looks like a rough Windows logo ;-)

  • thanks for the update Jamie! Glad to know you're hanging in there.

    And very classy and commendable of you to give people such a nice place to donate to, if they feel so inclined.

    cheers
    lb

  • Hi Jamie, hope things are going well. A progress update would be nice if you get a chance! We're rooting for you... Your product is too essential to .NET development to let it slide into obscurity.

  • TCB by settlement. It leaves you out of the history books.

  • I love test driven.net.
    But the more I read about this the more confised I get.

    Can you honestly say that when you started to make the express edition that it never ever crossed your mind that its not allowed?

    When you had to start making special dll's and make people open up the property browser to activate it in express, didn't you ever think: "I'm hacking now" ?

    To me it seems like you found a house with locked doors and closed windows but you found your way in through the chimney instead..

    And then trying to argue: "The chimney was open so I didnt break in.."

  • This whole story is about more than legal right and wrong.

    The problem is it's a big strategic mistake by Microsoft not weighing profit implications against developer good will implications.

    The profit implications of lost VS revenue seem small compared to the huge war of keeping loyal developers happy with the MS platform, rather than choosing open source solutions.

    MS has every right to enforce any legal clause they want and to make money, but developers have a right to feel they don't like their actions and make different software choices.

    I have been strong supporter of MS tech since college (still am) and so have many others. Note to MS: Politics 101 says don't make people mad unless you stand to gain a lot from it. Here the issue is a house fly, and you are blowing holes in your own walls by trying to kill it with a shotgun. Not smart.

  • The first step is as good as half over.

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  • Microsoft amp testdriven net.. I like it :)

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  • Competent light of day! Do you privilege consumption Twitter? I'd like to follow you if that would be okay. I'm absolutely enjoying your blog and look forward to strange updates.

  • Wow! This blog looks exactly like my disused a certain! It's on a completely separate contingent on expose but it has lovely much the anyhow layout and design. Super option of colors!

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