Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

Not OP, and I think never using a debugger is silly, but IMO if I need a debugger to figure out a problem then I'm missing either sufficient unit tests or sufficient logging, and spending my time on that rather than in the debugger will aid future devs as well.

I do think the write/debug/edit cycle is a very, very slow way to program, and I have to admit I'm suspicious when somebody tells me they spend 90% their time in the debugger (but a lot of this is dependent on type of work).



I work with big data and have to solve a lot of problems in integration or by debugging again at the a live Systeme, which you simply cannot reproduce in local unit tests.

And sometimes running a single test takes like 7 minutes so I have to reduce the times I run it to save time which is why I tend to fix code in an interactive REPL in the debugger.




Consider applying for YC's Winter 2026 batch! Applications are open till Nov 10

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: