Product Description
Finding bugs and understanding what is really happening within code is a lostart. Only truly good programmers are able to emulate the processor in theirown mind (e.g. read the code and understand how it might work without goingto the trouble of running it). Adam Barr wonders how programmers aresupposed to build better programs if they do not know what is going on incode. The true pursuit of most software programmers is not creatingapplications from scratch; the reality of their day-to-day work is that theyusually have to deal with inherited code. This code, likely written by someoneelse, must be optimized, tweaked, and improved. Therefore, programmers whoare adept at reading, understanding, and improving code are in hot demand.These skills are drawn to the forefront with the help of this new book.This book is language-independent. The author borrows from his extensiveexperience at Microsoft Corporation and as an independent consultant to showhow programming skills can be honed by going through the exercise of findingthe bugs in existing code. By teaching programmers how to troubleshoot, it isthe author's belief that programmers will learn how to think like a programmer,and ultimately produce better software in a more timely fashion.
From the Back Cover
50 exercises to help you find bugs faster -- with less aggravation!
Bug hunting isan art, and you need to be a master. Get Find the Bug, and you'll become one. Long-time Microsoft programmer Adam Barr presents 50 programs, each with exactly one bug. Your assignment: find it. As you do, Barr will teach you how to "think like your processor"... anticipating exactly how code will behave, even without running it. You'll learn better ways to read code, understand it -- and above all, improve it. Whether you're building new systems or maintaining someone else's, you'll find bugs earlier, faster, with less frustration... and write cleaner code to begin with.
- Presents "bugged" programs in C, Java, Python, Perl, and x86 assembly language, with carefully explained solutions
- Includes language overviews to help you debug all 50 examples, even if you don't know the language
- Shows how to look past the "surface" of code to uncover its hidden internal logic
- Offers practical guidance on analyzing programs, including specific inputs to test
- Presents a wide range of realistic bugs, with no phony "gotchas"
- Draws on the types of coding and debugging challenges Microsoft uses to interview new programmers
- An indispensable resource for working programmers, maintainers, testers, quality specialists, and everyone involved in code reviews
© Copyright Pearson Education. All rights reserved.
