[ruby-core:28009] Re: [Bug:trunk] some behavior changes of lib/csv.rb between 1.8 and 1.9

Hi,

2010/2/1 James Edward Gray II <[e-mail]>:
>> I have changed csv of rubyspec, though there is still no spec of
>> CSV.parse_line.
>> It would be helphul if you could take a look at csv of rubyspec in
>> your spare time:
>>
>> http://github.com/rubyspec/rubyspec/tree/master/library/csv/
>
> I browsed through it a bit.  I didn't feel like there is much there.  :)
>
> I say that meaning that CSV has a lot of tests in Ruby itself.  Does RubySpec not make an effort to port existing test suites?


I was asked similar question by Masatoshi Seki (the author of ERB)
in [ruby-dev:40239].  I also want to ask RubySpec expert.


Here is just my personal opinion:  RubySpec is (at least, aim to be)
"spec", not test suite.

The library "spec" can be referred to know the standard, strict and
guaranteed behavior of library.  In the sense, it is similar to
document, rather than test suites.
"The code is the spec" philosophy is too cumbersome for the purpose.
It is difficult to know what behavior is guaranteed.  And, some
optimization and refactoring may lead to spec change easily.

In addition, test suites may include "white-box test," which is
involved with the specific implementation.
For example, when yet another CSV library appears (like FasterCSV
for old CSV) and aims to be strictly compatibile to lib/csv.rb,
the test suites may be too implementation-specific to be used as
comformance test.


Well, in [ruby-core:27930], to be exact, I had to ask you "are these
new behaviors guaranteed (at least in 1.9 series)?"

-- 
Yusuke ENDOH <[e-mail]>