Re: prototype board options

["Michael J. Mahon" <mjmahon@aol.com>]

Mike Willegal wrote:
> I think I need some more definition about what this technique is.
> Setting a break and stepping or tracing through a long loop a hundred or 
> thousand times isn't an approach I'd normally take, if I could possibly 
> avoid it.  This certainly isn't a technique I'd train anyone else on.
>
> :-)

Right--a primary reason for setting a breakpoint is to avoid having
to step through loops.

I'd describe breakpoint debugging more as "setting traps", since
most of your time is spent figuring out which breakpoints to enable
so that 1) you don't spend all your time "continuing" through the
breakpoints you don't need, and 2) you don't miss the one that you
*do* need.

The surest way to "lose control" of a program is to get into a
mindless loop of "continuing" and then continuing past the one
you really wanted to stop at--which is why selective enabling
and "procedure steps" and "counted breaks" are so handy.

"Variable watches" are also very useful, but some debuggers
don't support them since they require tracing the code.

But, as I said, I find breakpoint debugging is about as much fun
as boot tracing (in fact, very similar), and I almost always find
a better way.

-michael

NadaPong: Network game demo for Apple II computers!
Home page:  http://members.aol.com/MJMahon/

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