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MadOgre
197d

Have you ever been pair coding with someone who uses shotgun debugging? I am about to claw my eyes out! What is shotgun debugging you ask?
Code doesn't work... What do we do?
I start thinking about possible flow, how to go back to what works, where to insert debugging statements. My partner interrupts my thought and says - what if we change this variable name?
...uh what?
What if that fixes it
It won't!
Well how do you know if you don't try?
I change the variable name - of course nothing works and now I forgot the possible solution I was thinking about...
Starting over... I again start coming close to the idea... Interrupts me again. What if we comment out this random line?
Why what's your reasoning?
Answer: *Shrug* idk might work...
...rinse and repeat
WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU???!
I literally started muting my computer sound so I can not hear him while I think and that helps tremendously. This is programming not magic, people!!! Stop throwing random "what if" suggestions!

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  • 3
    197d
    @Kernel no this literally just happened. It was with a coworker over zoom
  • 3
    197d
    I am going flip some tables if I have to work with someone like this. You got terrible luck.
  • 0
    197d
    If I get the chance to pair program with someone, I sit down and stfu. I'm gonna let them do all the talking, unless I have a question or need to clarify something. One on one time with another dev? You're damn right I'm gonna try and learn as much as possible from them in that time.
  • 3
    197d
    I thought shotgun debugging was where you bring out a 12-bore and start loading it whilst informing the computer that if it doesn't stop being such a little prick, you're going to take it outside and shoot it right in the tits?
  • 0
    197d
    Pair programming seems like a way cheap business owners save on equipment and electricity, and also push out employees they think they pay too much.
  • 1
    197d
    Now I remember why I was not too fond of pair programming. Similar situations make developers hate "agile" working when it's dictated top to bottom involving incompetent middle management and incompetent coworkers. Now I remember why I was not too fond of corporate culture.
  • 1
    197d
    @cuddlyogre No this was by choice. Nobody required us to pair code. My coworker asked me to pair with him to help him resolve an issue
  • 0
    197d
    @MadOgre that explains a lot, but not how they got a coding job in the first place.
  • 0
    197d
    @usr--2ndry Because being able to pass an interview and being good at coding on the job are two distinct almost disjoint sets of skills. They don't usually test for ability to debug code flow, just like they don't test for being a good partner and respecting your coworkers
  • 0
    197d
    someone is getting paid for not even doing the bare minimum
  • 0
    197d
    I thought that shotgun debugging meant that one person would start to delete code from the flow until they find out where is the problem is…
  • 0
    197d
    @idkhow honestly you could be right I haven't actually looked into it. But this is the closest that I could come to describe what he's doing
  • 0
    195d
    That's awful binary search at least!
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