How Would You Improve Today's Debugging Tools? 731
redelvis asks: "I recently came across an article by MIT's Media Lab on 'The Debugging Scandal and What to Do About It'. It's a few years old now, but it really got me thinking about how little the debugging process has improved over the last 5,10 or even 30 years. I have developed applications using modern IDE debuggers such as Borland's JBuilder, Microsoft's Visual C++, as well as standard tools like gdb and jdb. Despite the slick graphical interfaces, nice thread stack traces and local variable browsers, I still make sure I have on hand plenty of notepads, graph paper, pens and pencils so I can try to build up a picture of what state the program is in and to help me play detective in pinpointing what is going wrong with my (or other peoples) programs. Do other developers have similar problems? Do they find modern IDEs and debuggers have shortcomings in helping track down bugs? What would make a better debugger? Why do you think so much effort been invested in areas such as advanced modelling tools but so little in improving debugging tools?"
Perhaps.... (Score:5, Funny)
Easy. As anyone who's ever tried to use software knows, nobody uses debugging tools anyway.
-JDF
Easy solution (Score:4, Funny)
Eventually someone else will find the bugs and fix them for you at their own expense.
This is how the Open Source programming model works.
Personally ... (Score:2, Funny)
I am a command :) (Score:5, Funny)
When I got my first job I was thrilled to be able to log in with my initials, jdb, instead of using the crummy initials and numbers ID I'd had at school. Imagine my surprise one day when I left the "cd" off a command to change into my home directory from /home and instead of an error discovered the Java debugger! ESR and RMS, eat your hearts out. :)
My only regret is jdb is a Java command, not a Perl command.
what's wrong with debuggers? (Score:1, Funny)
Add one or two beautiful dancing girls to every debugger, and they'll sell like hotcakes.
Re:I am a command :) (Score:5, Funny)
--Richard Muldoon
Re:Perhaps.... (Score:4, Funny)
Anyone that's ever been buggered knows that you can never be debuggered.
It's like the old joke:
Q--What's the difference between Madonna and a lightbulb?
A--You can unscrew a lightbulb.
The first thing I would do... (Score:2, Funny)
_______________
I asked my boss.. (Score:3, Funny)
I wouldn't let the retards at microsoft (Score:1, Funny)
Re:The first thing I would do... (Score:1, Funny)
one word... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:VB has one of those debuggers (Score:4, Funny)
Whoah, I'm glad you showed up! My opinion of VB has completely changed now that you've tuned me in to that little fact. I didn't fully realize the scope of the problem until I realized that my ass would be sucked!
I only need 1 command in a debugger (Score:3, Funny)
I just need the "why" command..
=)
Re:Debugger improvements (Score:2, Funny)
You know, that's actually a great idea -- and if you think of the logical continuation of it, it would only be a matter of time before you needed a debugger for your debugging code. How cool would that be!
-Fatty
And if you don't have somebody around... (Score:5, Funny)
This is where when you are completely stuck, you take a little break. Then you come back, pull a rubber duck out of your drawer, and put it on your desk. Then you turn to it and say, "Rubber duck, here's my problem," and explain your troubles to it, just as you would to a fellow programmer.
About two thirds of the time I try this, I stop half way through and say, "Aha! That's the problem!" And even if the solution doesn't occur to me, the process of explaining the problem makes me go over it in an orderly way, so that I always think of new places to look.
Re:Perhaps.... (Score:1, Funny)
Re:And if you don't have somebody around... (Score:5, Funny)
When you tell him how many problems little Ducky has solved, your main problem is that he will try to steal your duck.
But if you're really worried about appearances, write Ducky an email about the problem. If by the end of the email you still are mystified, you can always send the email to a colleague.
Powerful debugging software in every MS app (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Perhaps.... (Score:2, Funny)