10 ms·

Can someone explain to me why the visual debugging situation in linux has been so miserable compared to windows?

by rjzzleep 4y ago

tpoacher 4y ago
different audiences, possibly. *cries in vim*
fit2rule 4y ago
DaOne256 4y ago
For devs coming from the full Visual Studio on Windows, VSCode is quite good for debugging with gdb on Linux.
speed_spread 4y ago
It's mostly that Microsoft and Apple invest a lot of money in their IDEs to attract and retain development talent for the platforms that support the core of their business. - In CLIs the function (what the software does) is more important than the presentation, in GUIs the usability expectations are higher. - GUIs need constant cosmetic updates over the years to keep up with design fads - GUIs in general require more work and a good eye to be considered useful Linux market dynamics does not have such a "generous" vendor that might recoup their IDE development costs by selling other stuff. - Historically, the Linux user base has been smaller - GUIs are seen with contempt by a small but influent portion of the Linux crowd - Linux users are less willing to pay for software because so much is available for free
- anthk 4y ago
  Linux and Unix now have radare2/ired/rr, but DDD and gdb can work pretty well too. Also, as everything it's libre/open source, you can set up debugging flags everywhere.
kevincox 4y ago
I have the same question. I'm mostly a printf debugger but for some problems cracking out an interactive debugger is invaluable but I've struggled to find one that worked well for me on Linux. I usually end up using command line gdb and it's TUI but I'm not thrilled with the experience. Compared to something like browser debuggers for JavaScript it is so difficult to do simple things (even if the advanced features are more powerful).
bogwog 4y ago
- Visual studio has a trillion dollar corporation behind it - XCode has a trillion dollar corporation behind it - The graphical debugger projects on Linux pretty much only have volunteers (occasionally) working on them, and none has picked up enough traction to build a significant following and justify any kind of real investment Also, it has never really been a pressing issue since GDB, LLDB, and tools like RR are perfectly usable from the command line once you learn them.
otabdeveloper4 4y ago
I imagine the vast majority of people who use debuggers for Linux programs are doing it over ssh.
thebruce87m 4y ago
qtcreator seems to be ok for me - if your project has a CMakeLists file, just do “sudo apt install qtcreator”, “qtrceater .” Then “F5” and you’re off. Am I missing out on important functionality?

Can someone explain to me why the visual debugging situation in linux has been so miserable compared to windows?

tpoacher 4y ago

different audiences, possibly. *cries in vim*

fit2rule 4y ago

DaOne256 4y ago

For devs coming from the full Visual Studio on Windows, VSCode is quite good for debugging with gdb on Linux.

speed_spread 4y ago

It's mostly that Microsoft and Apple invest a lot of money in their IDEs to attract and retain development talent for the platforms that support the core of their business. - In CLIs the function (what the software does) is more important than the presentation, in GUIs the usability expectations are higher. - GUIs need constant cosmetic updates over the years to keep up with design fads - GUIs in general require more work and a good eye to be considered useful Linux market dynamics does not have such a "generous" vendor that might recoup their IDE development costs by selling other stuff. - Historically, the Linux user base has been smaller - GUIs are seen with contempt by a small but influent portion of the Linux crowd - Linux users are less willing to pay for software because so much is available for free

anthk 4y ago
Linux and Unix now have radare2/ired/rr, but DDD and gdb can work pretty well too. Also, as everything it's libre/open source, you can set up debugging flags everywhere.

kevincox 4y ago

I have the same question. I'm mostly a printf debugger but for some problems cracking out an interactive debugger is invaluable but I've struggled to find one that worked well for me on Linux. I usually end up using command line gdb and it's TUI but I'm not thrilled with the experience. Compared to something like browser debuggers for JavaScript it is so difficult to do simple things (even if the advanced features are more powerful).

bogwog 4y ago

- Visual studio has a trillion dollar corporation behind it - XCode has a trillion dollar corporation behind it - The graphical debugger projects on Linux pretty much only have volunteers (occasionally) working on them, and none has picked up enough traction to build a significant following and justify any kind of real investment Also, it has never really been a pressing issue since GDB, LLDB, and tools like RR are perfectly usable from the command line once you learn them.

otabdeveloper4 4y ago

I imagine the vast majority of people who use debuggers for Linux programs are doing it over ssh.

thebruce87m 4y ago

qtcreator seems to be ok for me - if your project has a CMakeLists file, just do “sudo apt install qtcreator”, “qtrceater .” Then “F5” and you’re off. Am I missing out on important functionality?