Note of "Debugging Applications for MS.Net and MS Windows": Chapter 1

Bugs: where they come from and how you solve them

1. What are bugs

• Inconsistent user interfaces
• Unmet expectations
• Poor performance
• Crashes or data corruption

2. Reasons for bugs

• Short or impossible deadlines
• The "code first, think later" approach
• Misunderstood requirements
• Engineer ignorance or improper training
• Lack of commitment to quality

3. What is proper code review

• Bad: A formal group review meeting
• Good: one-on-one informal review ---line by line
• Good: Have junior developers to review senior developers' code

4. Planning for debugging

4.1. Prerequisites

• Skill set: know your project, language, technology/tools, operating systems, and CPU
• Learn the skill set

4.2. Debug process

• Duplicate the bug
• Describe the bug
• Always assume that the bug is yours
• Divide and conquer
• Think creatively
• Leverage tools
• Start heavy debugging
• Verify that the bugs is fixed
• Learn and share