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100% this. Have looked at, say, the Python debugger as used by PyCharm and thought "well this seems like a bludgeon, I only need to see how <variable> isn't wo

100% this. Have looked at, say, the Python debugger as used by PyCharm and thought "well this seems like a bludgeon, I only need to see how <variable> isn't working as expected" and bung in various print() statements in and around the Thing concerned, sprinkling them wider and wider if the bug isn't localised to a function or even the class it's in - I may have supplied naff information to a class when instantiating it, for example. Debuggers are simply too much of a complicated bludgeon. I can understand a need for debuggers for machine code/assembly programming, or deep system programming when you're hitting the metal, or even low level languages like C. I've yet to find a need for a debugger for high level languages like Python. Perhaps some day. Until then, I'll plough the time which would be required to Get To Know the debugger, into writing code.

gnud 5y ago
I really don't understand this. Whenever I try to print debug, I end up missing the mark on my first print statement(s). If I just set a breakpoint, I can jump back in the stack, or step forwards, so I can easily find the real place the error happens. Of course I sometimes still print debug - when using languages with bad debuggers, languages where I don't know the tooling, languages with horrible control flow (javascript callbacks), or constrained environments, printing/logging is sometimes the best you can do. But that doesn't mean it's the best there is.
bsder 5y ago
It's kind of funny, but Python is the only language I regular use the debugger--presumably because it's built-in. I put "if (condition): import pdb; pdb.set_trace()" all the time and almost never use "print". So, clearly I don't love "print", I just hate debuggers that are annoying to set up. I suspect that if other languages had such a convenient "drop me into the debugger" statement, more people would use debuggers.
- db48x 5y ago
  The “debugger” keyword in Javascript is similar. I’ve used it frequently!

gnud 5y ago

I really don't understand this. Whenever I try to print debug, I end up missing the mark on my first print statement(s). If I just set a breakpoint, I can jump back in the stack, or step forwards, so I can easily find the real place the error happens. Of course I sometimes still print debug - when using languages with bad debuggers, languages where I don't know the tooling, languages with horrible control flow (javascript callbacks), or constrained environments, printing/logging is sometimes the best you can do. But that doesn't mean it's the best there is.

bsder 5y ago

It's kind of funny, but Python is the only language I regular use the debugger--presumably because it's built-in. I put "if (condition): import pdb; pdb.set_trace()" all the time and almost never use "print". So, clearly I don't love "print", I just hate debuggers that are annoying to set up. I suspect that if other languages had such a convenient "drop me into the debugger" statement, more people would use debuggers.

db48x 5y ago
The “debugger” keyword in Javascript is similar. I’ve used it frequently!