Debugging Debugging

When a program fails to accomplish its intended task, debugging is conducted to identify and remove any bugs. The debugging operation itself is not immune to flaws. Empirical evidence suggests many bugs are found after shipping, which calls into question the effectiveness of the present debugging operation. When failing to accomplish its mission, the debugging operation itself needs to be debugged. Challenging the traditional view on debugging, this paper identifies misdirection and inadequacies of the present program debugging operation. To improve debugging, it critically reviews selected aspects of the debugging operation and the system development life cycle, and explores linkages connecting debugging to other environments (e.g. auditing, business, and education). Suggestions for improvement of debugging are made.