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Fun: New Programmatic Certification - WOMM Programme

by Ben Hughes on Jun 21, 2007 |

Jeff Attwood outlined a new and amusing level of application certification in his blog, detailing some of the common ways WOMM (Works On My Machine) qualification can be attained:

Compile your application code. Getting the latest version of any recent code changes from other developers is purely optional and not a requirement for certification.

Launch the application or website that has just been compiled.

Cause one code path in the code you're checking in to be executed. The preferred way to do this is with ad-hoc manual testing of the simplest possible case for the feature in question. Omit this step if the code change was less than five lines, or if, in the developer's professional opinion, the code change could not possibly result in an error.

Check the code changes into your version control system.

Comments on Jeff's blog include some pointers to implementing the certification in your workplace, including laminating the award for the build breaker, to t-shirts for the entire development team!

The WOMM endorsement presents a fresh way for humorously highlighting build breaking offenders, and adds another feedback tool to the continuous build environment. What methods do readers employ to provide feedback in development teams?