But even in your first case, why printf when you can see that variable's value, and scope, and stack, and everything else by using the debugger, all without hav

But even in your first case, why printf when you can see that variable's value, and scope, and stack, and everything else by using the debugger, all without having to modify the program at all. I'm in the javascript world for the most part now, so it could be a much bigger pain in other languages/ecosystems, but for me a debugger is always there, and always running, and in my opinion not used nearly enough. Although I think we are in agreement that trying to assume you know what the code is doing while debugging is going to lead to pain.