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How Would You Improve Today's Debugging Tools?

Posted by Cliff on from the there's-always-room-for-improvement-right dept.

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?"

3 of 640 comments (clear)

  1. Perhaps.... by foxtrot · · Score: 5, Funny

    Why do you think so much effort been invested in areas such as advanced modelling tools but so little in improving debugging tools?

    Easy. As anyone who's ever tried to use software knows, nobody uses debugging tools anyway.

    -JDF

  2. And if you don't have somebody around... by dubl-u · · Score: 5, Funny

    If you don't have another programmer handy, try the practice of Rubber Ducking.

    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.

    1. Re:And if you don't have somebody around... by dubl-u · · Score: 5, Funny

      What if the fellow programmer walks in and catches you talking to a rubber duck? :)

      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.