Rubber Duck Debugging

I read an interesting bit about debugging and thought it was worth sharing.

We called it the Rubber Duck method of debugging. It goes like this:

1) Beg, borrow, steal, buy, fabricate or otherwise obtain a rubber duck

(bathtub variety)

2) Place rubber duck on desk and inform it you are just going to go over

some code with it, if that's all right.

3) Explain to the duck what you code is supposed to do, and then go into

detail and explain things line by line

4) At some point you will tell the duck what you are doing next and then

realize that that is not in fact what you are actually doing. The duck

will sit there serenely, happy in the knowledge that it has helped you

on your way.

Works every time. Actually, if you don't have a rubber duck you could at

a pinch ask a fellow programmer or engineer to sit in.

Andy

What I find interesting about this method is that I have done the same thing countless times. I will be telling my wife about my day and some problem I was having or explaining what I am working on to a friend and get one of those moments where describing the problem provides the solution.

Programming is fun.