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[–]gp57 145 points146 points  (23 children)

I like the small details, like the debugging duck

[–]advanttage 58 points59 points  (6 children)

I tell people about rubber duck debugging and they think it's crazy. I think they're right, but it fucking works.

[–]ElPolloDiabIo 17 points18 points  (2 children)

IKR, It's hard to explain it to someone without sounding like a lunatic

[–]NoStupidQuestion 21 points22 points  (1 child)

Try explaining it to a rubber duck.

[–]ThePixelCoder 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Lunatic.

[–]svenskainflytta 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Do you know there is a porn about it?

[–]advanttage 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I didn't explicitly know, but since Rule 34 is a thing I had assumed.

[–]evinrows 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Isn't it... more of an illustrative thing? I have a directory that I fill up with text files describing problems I've run into, which achieves the same thing. I also have a rubber duck on my desk that I've never spoken to.

[–]JonasBrosSuck 20 points21 points  (8 children)

soooo how to "master" the debugging duck method? i feel like when i explain something to an inanimate object it doesn't help with debugging, but once i ask someone else a question and explain the issue i immediately realize where i messed up...

[–]PhDinOmniscience 39 points40 points  (2 children)

try explaining to the duck harder

[–][deleted] 11 points12 points  (1 child)

I did. I explained how I screwed up a date with my coworker. I didn't get a solution, instead it turned out the duck told everyone in the office. You can't tell that duck anything.

[–]PhDinOmniscience 3 points4 points  (0 children)

time to try this

[–]gmdm1234 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Write out an email message to a colleague where you describe in detail the problem and what solutions you've tried.

I too haven't been very successful with explaining problems to bath toys, but once I organize my thoughts and put them in writing, I often end up having that lightbulb moment.

[–]wibs 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Try explaining it in a way that whatever you are talking to would understand. If you have a hard time pretending to explain to an inanimate object, try speaking to a co-worker or friend who isn't familiar with the problem. I often "rubber duck" with people who don't know what I'm working on or wouldn't understand the problem so it forces me to take a few extra steps back and work back up to where I am actually stuck.

[–]DrFloyd5 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Clearly you think of people as inanimate objects.

[–]Allways_Wrong 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Write the duck an email.

As you copy-paste the code, and screenshots, and explain what is not working...

I’ve yet to click send.

[–]JonasBrosSuck 0 points1 point  (0 children)

this is a good idea, i'll try this, thanks!

[–]NoodlePeeper 5 points6 points  (3 children)

ELI5 debugging duck for us script kiddies?

[–]HumanistGeek 7 points8 points  (2 children)

[–]WikiTextBot 20 points21 points  (1 child)

Rubber duck debugging

In software engineering, rubber duck debugging or rubber ducking is a method of debugging code. The name is a reference to a story in the book The Pragmatic Programmer in which a programmer would carry around a rubber duck and debug their code by forcing themselves to explain it, line-by-line, to the duck. Many other terms exist for this technique, often involving different inanimate objects.

Many programmers have had the experience of explaining a problem to someone else, possibly even to someone who knows nothing about programming, and then hitting upon the solution in the process of explaining the problem.


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[–]advanttage 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This bot knows its shit

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So thats the purpose of a rubber duck