[Mono-dev] Mono/Linux and MbUnit, NMock, NCover, VSTS

[Charlie Poole]

Hi Mads,

> We are deciding on a unit test framework for our 
> crossplatform C# efforts.
> 
> I have been looking at a number of frameworks, but it is 
> unclear to me, to what extent they "work" with Mono/Linux. I 
> am looking for other Mono/Linux users experience with these 
> frameworks.
> 
> We know about nUnit (which, AFAICT, works very well in 
> Mono/Linux), but all the rage seems to be about MbUnit these 
> days. Does MbUnit work in Mono/Linux? 
> Some of it seems to be tied to "Com 1.5"?

NUnit is now developed and tested on both the MS and Mono platforms.
Working on Mono is one of our design goals - see the Vision page at
http://nunit.org. You may want to make sure that the framework you use
have a /stated policy/ of supporting mono.

With Mono 1.2 rc, NUnit's Windows Forms gui runs on mono. Our Windows
installer inserts shortcuts to run using whatever runtime frameworks 
you have installed, including mono. On linux, you still have to create 
your own desktop shortcuts if you want them.

MbUnit introduces new features much more quickly than NUnit. That
attracts a lot of intention, of course. NUnit has to worry much more
about backward compatibility, because it has a much larger body
of users - including some who are relatively naïve in the use of
the framework and who prefer not to contend with too many options.

That's why NUnit is packaging certain things as addins, rather than
as part of the overall framework itself. Once the NUnit 2.4 release
is complete, we'll have a stable platform for extensions and I am
expecting to see large numbers of addins published from the NUnit
team and from others.

> And finally, some of our Windows developers fancy the unit 
> testing support in Microsoft Visual Studio Team System. I am 
> sceptical about this. It is a bit hard for me to resolve, but 
> it would appear, that this is tied very closely to MSVSTS? 
> Does this work with Mono/Linux? Are there any license problems?

There is an experimental addin for NUnit that runs VSTS tests
using the Microsoft unit testing dll. Obviously, you have to have
a valid team system license to do this. The addin is not much more
than a proof of concept at this time but it does run the tests. I'm 
fairly certain that it will run on Mono, but currently that requires
a .Net 2.0 build of NUnit. The mono developers have promised a switch
that will allow running an executable built with the 1.0 profile under
the 2.0 profile in the near future.

BTW, there is also and addin for runing CsUnit tests under NUnit and
an MbUnit addin is not out of the question in the future.

Charlie

> Thanks in advance for all input!
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Mads
> 
> --
> Med venlig hilsen/Regards
> 
> Systemudvikler/Systemsdeveloper cand.scient.dat, Ph.d., Mads 
> Bondo Dydensborg Dansk BiblioteksCenter A/S, Tempovej 7-11, 
> 2750 Ballerup, Tlf. +45 44 86 77 34
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