update readme

Author: isaacs

README.md

@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@ Node.js.
 
 [![Build Status](https://travis-ci.org/tapjs/node-tap.svg?branch=master)](https://travis-ci.org/tapjs/node-tap) [![Build Status](https://ci.appveyor.com/api/projects/status/913p1ypf21gf4leu?svg=true)](https://ci.appveyor.com/project/isaacs/node-tap) [![Coverage Status](https://coveralls.io/repos/tapjs/node-tap/badge.svg?branch=master&service=github)](https://coveralls.io/github/tapjs/node-tap?branch=master)
 
+_Just wanna see some code? [Get started!](http://www.node-tap.org/basics/)_
+
 It includes a command line test runner for consuming TAP-generating
 test scripts, and a JavaScript framework for writing such scripts.
 
@@ -15,8 +17,135 @@ test scripts, and a JavaScript framework for writing such scripts.
   * Great [promise support](http://www.node-tap.org/promises/)
   * Comprehensive [assert library](http://www.node-tap.org/asserts/)
   * Other [advanced stuff](http://www.node-tap.org/advanced/)
+  * Mocha-like [BDD DSL](http://www.node-tap.org/mochalike/)
+  * [Parallel Testing](http://www.node-tap.org/parallel/)
 * [Command-line interface](http://www.node-tap.org/cli/) for running
   tests (whether they use node-tap or not)
 
+See [the changelog](http://www.node-tap.org/changelog/) for recent updates, or just get
+started with [the basics](http://www.node-tap.org/basics/).
+
 All this is too much to manage in a single README file, so head over
 to [the website](http://www.node-tap.org/) to learn more.
+
+## Why TAP?
+
+Why should you use this thing!?  **LET ME TELL YOU!**
+
+Just kidding.
+
+Most frameworks spend a lot of their documentation telling you why
+they're the greatest.  I'm not going to do that.
+
+### <i lang="it">tutti i gusti, sono gusti</i>
+
+Node-tap is based on [my](http://izs.me) opinions about how a test
+framework should work, and what it should let you do.  I do _not_ have
+any opinion about whether or not you share those opinions.
+
+1. **Test files should be "normal" programs that can be run
+   directly.**
+
+   That means that it can't require a special runner that
+   puts magic functions into a global space.  `node test.js` is a
+   perfectly reasonable way to run a test, and it ought to function
+   exactly the same as when it's run by the fancy runner with
+   reporting and such.  JavaScript tests should be JavaScript
+   programs; not english-language poems with weird punctuation.
+
+2. **Test output should be sensibly connected to the structure of the
+   test file.**
+
+   That means not unnecessarily deferring test functions
+   until `nextTick`, because that would shift the order of
+   `console.log` output.  Synchronous tests should be synchronous.
+
+3. **Test files should be run in separate processes.**
+
+   That means that it can't use `require()` to load test files.  Doing
+   `node ./test.js` must be the exact same sort of environment for the
+   test as doing `test-runner ./test.js`.  Doing `node test/1.js; node
+   test/2.js` should be equivalent (from the test's point of view) to
+   doing `test-runner test/*.js`.  This prevents tests from becoming
+   implicitly dependent on one anothers' globals.
+
+4. **Assertions should not normally throw (but throws MUST be handled
+   nicely).**
+
+   I frequently write programs that have many hundreds of
+   assertions based on some list of test cases.  If the first failure
+   throws, then I don't know if I've failed 100 tests or 1, without
+   wrapping everything in a try-catch.  Furthermore, I usually want to
+   see some kind of output or reporting to verify that each one
+   actually ran.
+
+   Basically, it should be your decision whether you want to throw or
+   not.  The test framework shouldn't force that on you, and should
+   make either case easy.
+
+5. **Test reporting should be separate from the test process, included
+   in the framework, and enabled by default for humans.**
+
+   The [raw test output](http://www.node-tap.org/tap-format/) should be machine-parseable and
+   human-intelligible, and a separate process should consume test
+   output and turn it into a [pretty summarized
+   report](http://www.node-tap.org/reporting/).
+   This means that test data can be stored and parsed later, dug into
+   for additional details, and so on.  Also: nyan cat.
+
+6. **Writing tests should be easy, maybe even fun.**
+
+   The lower the barrier to entry for writing new tests, the more
+   tests get written.  That means that there should be a relatively
+   small vocabulary of actions that I need to remember as a test
+   author.  There is no benefit to having a distinction between a
+   "suite" and a "subtest".  Fancy DSLs are pretty, but more to
+   remember.
+
+   That being said, if the you returns a Promise, or use a DSL that
+   throws a decorated error, then the test framework should Just Work
+   in a way that is reasonable.
+
+7. **Tests should output enough data to diagnose a failure, and no
+   more or less.**
+
+   Stack traces pointing at JS internals or the guts of the test
+   framework itself are not helpful.  A test framework is a serious UX
+   challenge, and should be treated with care.
+
+8. **Test coverage should be included.**
+
+   Running tests with coverage changes the way that you think about
+   your programs, and provides much deeper insight.  Node-tap bundles
+   [nyc](https://istanbul.js.org/) for this.
+
+   It's not enabled by default only because it _does_ necessarily
+   change the nature of the environment a little bit.  But I strongly
+   encourage [enabling coverage](http://www.node-tap.org/coverage/).
+
+9. **Tests should be output in a predictable order.**
+
+   Even if they are run in parallel, the test _output_ should be
+   consistent.
+
+   As of version 10, tap supports [parallel
+   tests](http://www.node-tap.org/parallel/), which
+   can make your tests run significantly faster if they are I/O bound
+   or if you have multiple cores on your machine.  However, even when
+   run in parallel, the output is still serialized.
+
+10. **Tests should not require more building than your code.**
+
+    Babel and Webpack are lovely and fine.  But if your code doesn't
+    require compilation, then I think your tests shouldn't either.
+    Tap is extremely [promise-aware](http://www.node-tap.org/promises/), but works on any
+    version of Node.js back to v0.10.
+
+Software testing should help you build software.  It should be a
+security blanket and a quality ratchet, giving you the support to
+undertake massive refactoring and fix bugs without worrying.  It
+shouldn't be a purification rite or a hazing ritual.
+
+There are many opinions left off of this list!  Reasonable people can
+disagree.  But if you find yourself nodding along, [maybe tap is for
+you](http://www.node-tap.org/basics/).