Software Debugging

I started Software debugging class on Udacity.

First bug being found

Syllabus

Unit 1: How Debuggers work

Theory: Scientific method and its application to debugging.
Fun fact: First bug in the history of computer science.
Practice: Building a simple tracer.

Unit 2: Asserting Expectations

Theory: Assertions in testing and in debugging.
Fun fact: The most expensive bug in history.
Practice: Improving the tracer.

Unit 3: Simplifying Failures

Theory: Strategy of simplifying failures. Binary search. Delta debugging principle.
Fun fact: Mozilla bugathon.
Practice: Building a delta debugger.

Unit 4: Tracking Origins

Theory: Cause-effect chain. Deduction. Dependencies. Slices.
Fun fact: Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson.
Practice: Improving the delta debugger.

Unit 5: Reproducing Failures

Theory: Types of bugs (Bohr bug, Heisenbug, Mandelbug, Schrodinbug). Systematic reproduction process.
Fun fact: Mad laptop bug.
Practice: Building a statistic debugging tool.

Unit 6: Learning from Mistakes

Theory: Bug database management. Classifying bugs. Bug maps. Learning from mistakes.
Fun fact: Programmer with the most buggy code.
Practice: Improving your tools and practicing on a real world bug database.

Hugo Santos