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So I'd be curious. I usually work in scripted languages Bash, Ruby, JS (bleh) a bit of python. Sometimes I do some Java work though and I usually end up going

by hpoe 5y ago

So I'd be curious. I usually work in scripted languages Bash, Ruby, JS (bleh) a bit of python. Sometimes I do some Java work though and I usually end up going to print debugging because trying to figure out all the Java logging framework, or not ending up like 40 layers deep in some magic framework dependency that is interecepting my code which is what always happens when I use a debugger. That being said do those who work in compiled languages make more heavy use of debuggers?

seneca 5y ago
> do those who work in compiled languages make more heavy use of debuggers? I work in both quite a bit. I actually think I end up using a debugger more in e.g. Python because I'm more often asking questions like "what is the type of the thing being passed here", which is not a thing I need to seek out in something like Go. That said, I think it's more a style difference than anything. I use debuggers in both compiled and noncompiled languages when I need a deeper look, and I'd guess people who don't use debuggers in scripting languages wouldn't use them in compiled languages. Probably also has to do with the ecosystem and how easy/effective debuggers are.
UglyToad 5y ago
I wonder if C# is a bit of an outlier here. I work mainly in C# but also sometimes do Type/JavaScript. While I've got the VS Code debugger running for JavaScript projects I'll rarely use it and generally use print debugging. In C# I'd almost never use print debugging and the whole thing seems ridiculously antiquated (it's partly why I hate JS work). [Assuming you're working in Visual Studio...] You literally hit 1 key, F5 and then you can step through, time travel, edit and continue. I wonder if people just haven't experienced the ease of debugging in .NET with VS. I'd say I write probably 50% of my code in a debugging session, edit and continue is a game changer. I did a little Java work in Intellij and it was similar but I think partly due to a lack of familiarity with the UI didn't feel quite as powerful.

by hpoe 5y ago

seneca 5y ago

> do those who work in compiled languages make more heavy use of debuggers? I work in both quite a bit. I actually think I end up using a debugger more in e.g. Python because I'm more often asking questions like "what is the type of the thing being passed here", which is not a thing I need to seek out in something like Go. That said, I think it's more a style difference than anything. I use debuggers in both compiled and noncompiled languages when I need a deeper look, and I'd guess people who don't use debuggers in scripting languages wouldn't use them in compiled languages. Probably also has to do with the ecosystem and how easy/effective debuggers are.

UglyToad 5y ago

I wonder if C# is a bit of an outlier here. I work mainly in C# but also sometimes do Type/JavaScript. While I've got the VS Code debugger running for JavaScript projects I'll rarely use it and generally use print debugging. In C# I'd almost never use print debugging and the whole thing seems ridiculously antiquated (it's partly why I hate JS work). [Assuming you're working in Visual Studio...] You literally hit 1 key, F5 and then you can step through, time travel, edit and continue. I wonder if people just haven't experienced the ease of debugging in .NET with VS. I'd say I write probably 50% of my code in a debugging session, edit and continue is a game changer. I did a little Java work in Intellij and it was similar but I think partly due to a lack of familiarity with the UI didn't feel quite as powerful.