Re: Good debugger?

From: Bgc (sscherer_at_rocketmail.com)
Date: 11/17/03 

Date: 16 Nov 2003 23:14:17 -0800

Cameron:

Stepping through a script sequence, one line at a time, and watching
the variables change values as you do so is a much better approach to
learning a language, in my opinion, then inputing values to a function
and observing the output. The "closeness" that you get to the code
(or whatever word that you want to use) is acheived by stepping
through it with a good debugger. What I really like about RamDebugger
is that you change values even while the code is executing (I don't
think I've ever seen a debugger do that before).

I come from a Macromedia Director background where I had access to a
"built-in" debugger (Director is unique environment). I swear I could
program for weeks straight in that environment; I felt as though I
could "speak in Director." I think that I could have gotten to that
point without interactively watching my code execute, but it would
have taken much, much longer.

Steve

claird@lairds.com (Cameron Laird) wrote in message news:<vrfr1jk904r60@corp.supernews.com>...
> In article <e96edb9f.0311032221.43f3ed28@posting.google.com>,
> Bgc <sscherer@rocketmail.com> wrote:
> >Hi Andrew,
> >
> >I'm a newbie Tcl user and I really needed a good debugger (a must for
> >newbies). Right now I'm using this:
> .
> .
> .
> RamDebugger is indeed a significant achievement. It intrigues
> me, though, that you regard a debugger as "a must for newbies".
> That's not the way *I*'ve taught Tcl to beginners. What am I
> depriving them? How would lack of a debugger have impaired
> your Tcl learning?

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