Re: What happens when your program crashes?

jacob navia said:

<snip>

What I just do not believe are the wild
claims being done here like Mr Heathfield saying he can debug
code over the phone without seeing it, or the others with their
stories of debugging with "just reading the code", etc.

Not only are these "wild claims" true, but they don't even describe
anything particularly clever. Debugging unseen code is *usually*
impossible (which is why we ask people here to show us their code) - but
*sometimes* it can be done, and although it creates a great impression, it
normally only happens when the code's author is a relative newcomer to C
or to programming, and has stumbled into a common trap. Debugging code by
reading it, without a debugger - this idea that Mr Navia finds so hard to
believe, is done by clc regulars daily - *right here in clc*. I can't
imagine that any of us particularly need to fire up a debugger for most of
the problems posed here.

But obviously I can debug code by reading it,

Right - so you don't need a debugger after all. It's just a nice-to-have
for those who are good at taking advantage of its features.

<snip>

But let's face it, a debugger is a real time saver.

For you, maybe. For me, it was a big time *sink*, and when I stopped using
it I saved a considerable amount of time. Your disbelief does not change
the facts.

<snip>

--
Richard Heathfield <http://www.cpax.org.uk>
Email: -http://www. +rjh@
Google users: <http://www.cpax.org.uk/prg/writings/googly.php>
"Usenet is a strange place" - dmr 29 July 1999
.

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