FIRST: an idea that ran away from home
Quite some years ago, Brett Schuchert and I invented the acronym FIRST for micro-tests , though we called them "unit tests" (as was common at the time). This was later included in Agile In A Flash and was also published in a Pragmatic Programmers' article. It’s grown a following and has been widely repeated. At this point, the idea just exists in the aether, and authorship isn’t often considered or cited. I suppose it has become "common knowledge" at least in some circles. It's usually not even given a citation, so I guess it's become a thing in its own right. I’m still proud of Brett’s work and my small contribution to it. I'm glad it has taken on a life of its own, but I'm aware of when it's poorly described or when it's corrupted and am offended when people present it as their own unique work (or take praise for it, knowing that it is not original). I get it, though. I'm sure there are many people whose work I didn't know how ...