So, after reading all the hype about Microsoft’s new team
management product called Team Foundation Server, which by the way is just them
stealing the concepts from products like CruiseControl, NUnit, NAnt, NMake, etc
and repackaging them, I was really excited to see how it worked and what it
could do.
I have to tell you I was upset and frustrated from the get
go. Could they have created an
installation process that was any more complicated and convoluted? I mean installing Windows XP is a simpler
process and takes less time. The first
time I installed TFS, it took me about 6-8 hours of effort. Now some of this was working with the network
guys to create the needed domain accounts, some was trying to find the required
prerequisite software, some was actually reading and re-reading the instruction
guide. The good news is once I got TFS
installed it worked as described. I was
able to create a new team project I was able to add files, create check-in
procedures, etc.
All was going good until I decided to play around with TFS
Build. I had one goal in mind. Create a build that would trigger every time
that I checked in a file and have that build run my unit tests and then deploy
the compiled assemblies to a network drive.
So, I cracked open the handy TFS installation guide to see how to
install and run TFS Build. To be honest
setting up a build was pretty easy and straight forward…UNTIL I wanted to have
a build triggered by a check in. I read
and read, searched and searched the install guide for a way to do this. When after some time of searching I could not
find the answer I turned to every developer’s best tool, Google for the
answer. Thank god for Google, I was able
to find in a very short time frame the answer to my quest. But, boy was I not expecting the answer I found. THERE IS NO AUTOMATED BUILD IN TFS……. How do you create a Team server WITHOUT an
automated build process?????? The good
news is that a project manager at Microsoft was good enough to create an add-in
that would allow for an automated build (http://blogs.msdn.com/khushboo/archive/2006/01/04/509122.aspx). So after downloading his add in (thanks man,
you rock) and running the installer I had my continuous build up and running.
I guess the point to this post is two fold.
1) Thanks Microsoft for creating a product like TFS that all
the M.S. developers in the world can benefit from
2) What the hell were you thinking…….? You create a great product but you miss on fundamentals
on things like installation and features.
I mean I understand that you have to get the initial product out the
door, but next time do not skimp on the details.
Posted
09-21-2006 7:44 AM
by
Derik Whittaker