On 2006.09.06, Jeff Rogers <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> There are 2 main places where I find a debugger helpful. One is when I
> make stupid mistakes (and if you don't occasionally make stupid mistakes
> then I doubt you're actually programming) and the debugger can smack me
> upside the head and point out the stupidity ("Oh, it's a fencepost
> error!").
Automated tests should really eliminate this class of bugs, eliminating
the need for the debugger.
> The other, more important case is when I am digging into code that I
> am not familiar with.
Again, automated tests provide much more value here than a debugger. I
can look at code, "guess" as to what it's supposed to do, write an
automated test that asserts my understanding, and if it fails, then I
know my understanding was wrong. If it passes, then I understood that
piece correctly.
The upside here is once I've built up the tests, I can start to make
changes to the code and so long as I don't make any of the previous
tests fail, I know I've preserved the functionality that I've written
tests for.
Writing the tests once and being able to share and reuse them is worth
much, much more than one throw-away session in a debugger. The tests
will continue to provide value as long as they're relevant. The session
in the debugger only provides the user of the debugger insight (not the
whole team, who could read and run the tests).
> Linus's rant really rubbed me the wrong way. I thought "considered
> harmful" essays went out of vogue a few decades ago. If you'd rather
> not use a particular tool fine, but don't imply that people who choose
> to use it are somehow inferior.
I think Linus's rant was on-the-mark: if you feel the need for the
debugger, you're acknowledging a lack of sufficient understanding.
Linus's argument, as I understand it, says that "yes, a debugger is one
way of increasing your understanding, but not the best way, and
definitely not a way I personally intend to support in the Linux
kernel."
> I thought there was code in AOLserver to support the TclPro debugger -
> has that been removed?
Not that I'm aware of, but it also may not have been used or exercised
in a very long time. Or, if it has, I haven't heard of it.
-- Dossy
--
Dossy Shiobara | [EMAIL PROTECTED] | http://dossy.org/
Panoptic Computer Network | http://panoptic.com/
"He realized the fastest way to change is to laugh at your own
folly -- then you can let go and quickly move on." (p. 70)
--
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