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Studying the advancement in debugging practice of professional software developers.

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Studying the advancement in debugging practice of professional software developers.
Authors: Perscheid, Michael, Siegmund, Benjamin, Taeumel, Marcel, Hirschfeld, Robert
Source: Software Quality Journal; Mar2017, Vol. 25 Issue 1, p83-110, 28p
Subject Terms: COMPUTER software developers, DEBUGGING, ELECTRONIC data processing personnel, ELECTRONIC data processing, COMPUTER science
Abstract: In 1997, Henry Lieberman stated that debugging is the dirty little secret of computer science. Since then, several promising debugging technologies have been developed such as back-in-time debuggers and automatic fault localization methods. However, the last study about the state-of-the-art in debugging is still more than 15 years old and so it is not clear whether these new approaches have been applied in practice or not. For that reason, we investigate the current state of debugging in a comprehensive study. First, we review the available literature and learn about current approaches and study results. Second, we observe several professional developers while debugging and interview them about their experiences. Third, we create a questionnaire that serves as the basis for a larger online debugging survey. Based on these results, we present new insights into debugging practice that help to suggest new directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database: Complementary Index
Description
Abstract:In 1997, Henry Lieberman stated that debugging is the dirty little secret of computer science. Since then, several promising debugging technologies have been developed such as back-in-time debuggers and automatic fault localization methods. However, the last study about the state-of-the-art in debugging is still more than 15 years old and so it is not clear whether these new approaches have been applied in practice or not. For that reason, we investigate the current state of debugging in a comprehensive study. First, we review the available literature and learn about current approaches and study results. Second, we observe several professional developers while debugging and interview them about their experiences. Third, we create a questionnaire that serves as the basis for a larger online debugging survey. Based on these results, we present new insights into debugging practice that help to suggest new directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:09639314
DOI:10.1007/s11219-015-9294-2