[asrp]

I don't have that much to add to the other replies here. I used to never use pdb in Python for many years (not knowing or forgotten it exists) and doing perfectly well. Then I started using post-mortem debugging and finding/fixing bugs got so much faster. Basically, I'm using the computer to do the simulations I previously ran in my head (by evaluating things here and there). But that's just one point of data.

Another debugger I now recommend people (in general) to look at is Squeak Smalltalk's debugger which allows a form of "top down" programming where undefined functions are called and filled in at runtime. The debugger/editor in this post borrows a little bit from that idea in spirit. Part 3 in particular shows how it can be used even when they are no bugs.

About being off-topic, well, no-one has made another top level comment and by the time of your first post it was already 5 hours in. Some discussion is definitely better than none. So thank you for inciting that. If it burried some more on-topic discussion, that would be unfortunate though.

[pmarreck]

Ha, thanks for that!