Debugging principle
My sardonic pal Jack Mantis is thinking about writing a book on programming. Here's the current draft of the beginning of the chapter on debugging:
Debugging is hard.
Especially late at night.
When you're lying in bed.
Without a computer.
And the compiler is issuing error messages in what you're pretty sure is Medieval French lyric poetry.
And the elephant is about to charge.
But then you're in Spain, and the maître d' is telling you that no orangutans are allowed, and you try to explain that they're just massaging your feet, but then these guys without faces are chasing you along the Great Wall, and all our friends were there, and so was this guy from college who I haven't even thought of in years, and—oh, never mind, it's too complicated to explain and I don't really remember all the details anyway.
But take my word for it, debugging is hard.
—Jack Mantis, Mantis on Software
