The Perl way (and the extreme programming one BTW) uses more tests than specifications. Specifications are like consultative assemblies, they have no direct enforcement power. They can't have until they are translated into enforcing tests.

The problem of specifications is the choice of language. Specifications in common language are accesible to everyone including management and customer, but they are ambiguous. Specfications in a more formal language are hard to write and to read.

In a sense, tests are a form of specification. The big problem is that they are only palatable to programmers.

-- stefp

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