"Mocks Aren't Stubs" Revisited

Reading the book "xUnit Test Patterns: Refactoring Test Code" made me take another look at Martin Fowler's 2004 article "Mocks Aren't Stubs". I'm glad I did because the article has been significantly updated (it's practically a rewrite and nearly twice as long) to reflect new thinking about mock objects. The first thing I noticed was the new terminology that is consistent with the "xUnit Test Patterns" book. The second thing I noticed is the new ideas about the different styles of using mock objects. The updated article is definitely worth a read or a re-read.

It looks like we are beginning to develop a shared language around unit testing, like what happened with refactoring and design patterns. It's interesting to watch this kind of thing as it matures and we learn more. It reminds we of how much object oriented development has changed over the last twenty years.