About this Course

In this class you will learn how to debug programs systematically, how to automate the debugging process and build several automated debugging tools in Python.

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Course Cost
Free
Timeline
Approx. 2 months
Skill Level
intermediate
Included in Product

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Software Debugging

Enhance your skill set and boost your hirability through innovative, independent learning.

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Course Leads

Andreas Zeller

Andreas Zeller

Instructor

Gundega Dekena

Gundega Dekena

Instructor

What You Will Learn

lesson 1

How Debuggers work

  • Theory: Scientific method and its application to debugging.
  • Fun fact: First bug in the history of computer science.
  • Practice: Building a simple tracer.
lesson 2

Asserting Expectations

  • Theory: Assertions in testing and in debugging.
  • Fun fact: The most expensive bug in history.
  • Practice: Improving the tracer.
lesson 3

Simplifying Failures

  • Theory: Strategy of simplifying failures. Binary search. Delta debugging principle.
  • Fun fact: Mozilla bugathon.
  • Practice: Building a delta debugger.
lesson 4

Tracking Origins

  • Theory: Cause-effect chain. Deduction. Dependencies. Slices.
  • Fun fact: Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson.
  • Practice: Improving the delta debugger.
lesson 5

Reproducing Failures

  • Theory: Types of bugs (Bohr bug, Heisenbug, Mandelbug, Schrodinbug). Systematic reproduction process.
  • Fun fact: Mad laptop bug.
  • Practice: Building a statistic debugging tool.
lesson 6

Learning from Mistakes

  • Theory: Bug database management. Classifying bugs. Bug maps. Learning from mistakes.
  • Fun fact: Programmer with the most buggy code.
  • Practice: Improving your tools and practicing on a real world bug database.

Prerequisites and Requirements

Basic knowledge of programming and Python at the level of Udacity CS101 or better is required. Basic understanding of Object-oriented programming is helpful.

See the Technology Requirements for using Udacity.

Why Take This Course

At the end of this course you will have a solid understanding about systematic debugging, will know how to automate debugging and will have built several functional debugging tools in Python.

What do I get?