docs: update README and add test infrastructure

- Enhance .gitignore with comprehensive Python patterns
- Improve README with better setup and testing instructions
- Add test infrastructure:
  * Test requirements file
  * Environment setup script
  * Test runner script
  * Comprehensive test suite
  * Coverage configuration

tests/test_example.py

@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""
+Simple test to verify the test environment is set up correctly.
+"""
+
+def test_example():
+    """A simple test to verify the test framework works."""
+    assert True
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    test_example()
+    print("Test environment verification passed!")