Re: [boost] [testing] Refactoring serialization tests, and possibly others.

From: Robert Ramey (ramey_at_[hidden])
Date: 2005-09-26 12:58:27

David Abrahams wrote:
> "Robert Ramey" <ramey_at_[hidden]> writes:
>
>> David Abrahams wrote:
>>> "Robert Ramey" <ramey_at_[hidden]> writes:
>>>
>>> Please do what's required to bring the overall Boost testing time
>>> back down to something reasonable.
>>
>> I can do this.  Should this be RC_1_33_0 or head?
>
> Both.  We're testing them both pending the release of 1.33.1

If I recall correctly, the idea was that there would be a release of 1.33.1 
30 September 2005. I will be leaving town this sunday 2 October.  Do we 
really want to mess with something that's been this way for a year and will 
only go on for couple more days at this time?  That doesn't seem wise to me.

>>>> A main cause of this problem bjam dependency analysis re-runs all
>>>> tests on Library X even if library X hasn't changed.
>>>
>>> No it doesn't.
>>
>> Yes it does.
>>
>> Here is the scenario.  Library X uses something from library Y.
>> Library Y is changed.  This triggers a rebuild on Library X.  This
>> in turn triggers a re-build and re-test on Library X.  At least
>> that's way it looks like it works to me.
>
> That is correct, but what you said made it sound like X would be
> retested unconditionally.

> The idea that we should not be re-testing libraries when their
> dependencies change is debatable, but that's a different discussion.

Well, if we weren't doing that we wouldn't have a problem.  So if its not 
the same discussion but it is related.  Of course we can test less.  But the 
root of the problem is that probably only a small percentage of the effort 
invested in testing is actually testing anything.  I know I've brought this 
up before but made no headway so I won't harp on it anymore.

Robert Ramey