Chapter 2: Basics of Continuous Integration

1. A Software Build can consist of just compiling software components. A build can consist of compiling and running automated tests, but in general the more processes you add to the build the slower the feedback loop becomes on a build.
2. A staged build is a build that is broken down into a smaller build. For example in the first build you can do your compilation step and run all the unit tests. A secondary build can be used to run longer running tests such as end to end tests.
3. Make is a widely used scripting tool that can be used for many different types of programming languages. Maven is a scripting tool used by the Java community.
4. It is better to follow a naming convention because it helps organize a code base better and helps developers quickly understand what is going on a source file. Following a particular folder structure can help you quickly setup a new project.
5. CI has many things of value but in particular a CI system helps decouple environment configuration and setup into an isolated environment where developers can run all the tests in a codebase and do important tasks such as reporting and call other 3rd party services in an automated fashion.