HACKER Q&A
📣 pabo

Do You Like Debugging?


A frequent sentiment among developers I met is that they dislike debugging (e.g. as part of solving a reported issue). I guess a major reason is that it takes away precious time from creating something new, or the developer's role is such that they need to spend most of their time with debugging & troubleshooting. I'm not a developer, but I write code, and sometimes I feel that way too, especially when I'm under pressure and the issue is hard to debug and it blocks me from progressing.

Despite that, I usually love debugging. There are two main reasons for that:

1. Debugging an issue is almost always an excitement: a mystery to be solved. While debugging, I can feel a bit like a detective in a crime scene: collecting small traces, trying to build a case (the "big picture"), piling up evidence and gradually fencing the offender into a smaller and smaller territory, until it is caught.

2. Debugging can teach a lot about the system at hand. In fact, I think it may be one of the best ways to understand the mechanics and hidden nature of the system.

Do you also like debugging, or you rather see it as a necessary and unpleasant activity?


  👤 db48x Accepted Answer ✓
I love debugging, but it's more fun when you have good tools.