[camperman]

I KNOW I'm better at debugging than at programming. My own working code is terribly simple and straightforward but I've fixed kernel sound drivers, buggy firmwares and complex interrupt-driven music players. Perhaps I find it easier to construct a mental model when presented with a finished system rather than when starting from scratch.

[nissimk]

Neal Stephenson writes about this in my favorite "the diamond age," he calls it honer and forger. The type of engineer that is better at improving an existing thing vs. creating something new.

There's a need for all types.

[camperman]

Aaaah, this makes so much sense. Thanks for the reminder. Here's the para in question:

"Hackworth was a forger, Dr. X was a honer. The distinction was at least as old as the digital computer. Forgers created a new technology and then forged on to the next project, having explored only the outlines of its potential. Honers got less respect because they appeared to sit still technologically, playing around with systems that were no longer start, hacking them for all they were worth, getting them to do things the forgers had never envisioned."

[jungletek]

This book is probably my favorite of his, and definitely in my personal top-10 for fiction. Enjoyed it immensely on the first read, and get even more out of it on subsequent ones.

[JoachimS]

I hope your employer values you. Good debuggers (persons) seems to be rare. Esp people who also like to debug stuff. And you are soo needed.

[2sk21]

I think you have touched on something important - you need a good mental model of the system being debugged.

[camperman]

I guess it's my personality type too which is INTP, the classical deconstructionist. What does this do? How does it do it? Why isn't it working?

[bpicolo]

> My own working code is terribly simple and straightforward

That makes you a good programmer, too. ;)