All right, so the new and improved MVCToolkit, according to Scott now contains helper extension methods for setting up mock controller contexts, mock http contexts, etc. etc. with RhinoMocks.  The fact that you can do this is not revolutionary at all - after all Phil Haack discussed it in a previous post a while back.

To me, the big news about this is that Microsoft's MVC support toolkit has now implicity supported one mocking framework above the rest.   I don't think this is a worry for TypeMock considering it's almost a different beast entirely, but I can't see how something like this doesn't pretty much kill NMock dead.  And hey, I'm pretty ambivalent about it - after all, *I* don't use NMock, and obviously if Justice Gray doesn't use your tool, it almost doesn't exist!  I know, I know, some of you might say "Well, NMock can always provide their own mocking extension methods" but defaults are *crucial* for many teams.  There will be (a smaller number, but still some) dev teams that are picking up mocking and simply go with Rhino because it is now seemingly endorsed by one of the world's largest software vendors.  I don't know how often Microsoft actually includes dependencies like this on 3rd party DLLs, but I can't imagine it happens much. 

Aside from basically endorsing one mocking framework above all, in some ways this is also a promising step because Microsoft is at least demonstrating - to some small degree - that they actually care about making testing easier.  As well, they have also taken a small step towards helping the whole concept of mocking get some recognition.  After all, from a "big co" standpoint it's a lot easier to take a step towards learning or getting on board with some of these things when it doesn't seem like some "fringe" thing that only ultra-CSGs* do.

Of course, the potential controversy caused by Rhino/Ayende and MS being totally in bed with each other** is *dwarfed* by bombshell #2.  Trust me.  And that one comes next...

[update: the other three parts in this series can be found by clicking below:
MVC Preview 1 to Preview 2 Part A
MVC Preview 1 to Preview 2 Part B
MVC Bombshell #2]

* Comp Sci Geeks
** that's an exaggeration, before I am hauled off to Turkish prison