Talk:Shotgun debugging

This article is rated Stub-class on Wikipedia's content assessment scale.
It is of interest to the following WikiProjects:

Computing

	This article is within the scope of WikiProject Computing, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of computers, computing, and information technology on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.ComputingWikipedia:WikiProject ComputingTemplate:WikiProject ComputingComputing
???	This article has not yet received a rating on the project's importance scale.
	This article has been automatically rated by a bot or other tool as Stub-class because it uses a stub template. Please ensure the assessment is correct before removing the `\|auto=` parameter.

Merge Discussion

I suggested that this article be merged into programming by permutation. The two ideas are basically the same: both describe a process of making small, undirected changes in the absence of real understanding. The article about programming by permutation has considerably more substance. Janet LN Davis 15:31, 7 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

This merge proposal has been on the article since May 2007. As there has been no discussion I am closing the discussion as I do not believe that there is consensus in favour of the merge. --Deadly∀ssassin 21:06, 17 July 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Shotgun gives random scatter - permutation is systematic, can even cover all cases ... --87.194.174.252 (talk) 16:06, 13 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Alternate definition

I've been using this terminology for well over two decades in regards to peppering source code with debug statements to narrow down and eventually find bugs in situations where interactive debugging isn't possible. Communications software, heavily threaded applications, and most recently Firebird SQL where we couldn't duplicate the problem anywhere but at a customers site. 6 weeks of working with the Firebird Foundation turned out 0 results. I was able to find the problem and fix it in short order (3 iterations of code) using this tactic. It really sounds to me like the jargon file was written by someone with a misconception of what programmers are doing. Just my 2 cents. Braindead0 (talk) 13:52, 25 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Broad topic?

Briefly, shotgunning is not just a debugging or software technique.

Some suggest the technique is non-deductive and not time-effective, but detailed analysis can also be time-consuming. In modular systems, element swapping can be rapid, and experience or overview knowledge can direct the swapping to narrow the scope of detailed analysis.

Can/should this article be expanded to the broader usage, or is that already accomplished elsewhere that I am unaware of?

70.166.250.162 (talk) — Preceding undated comment added 21:59, 9 December 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Merge Discussion

Alternate definition

Related Content

Broad topic?