Disabling tests for subjective reasons (they take "too long", they don't
test critical functionality, etc...) is a slippery slope.
I've seen this approach used successfully in a commercial setting. The key is to make sure that the long tests do get run by someone.
If users find tests annoying then can turn them off, or ignore them or
not run them at all. Because the user impulse is more often to weaken
the tests than the strengthen them, the default should always be the strongest testing position.
Note that this might put pressure on test writers to not write a more complex test, if they feel guilty about the extra exection time it would require.
--
Danny R. Faught
Tejas Software Consulting
http://tejasconsulting.com/
