From: cory@enigami.mv.com (Cory Kempf)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: Re: What's the best debugger?
Date: Sun, 12 Apr 92 14:14:35 EST
Organization: EnigamI, Inc., Nashua, NH
Reply-To: cory@enigami.mv.com
X-Mailer: uAccess - Macintosh Release: 1.5v5


In article <scott.702520229@mcl> (comp.sys.mac.programmer), scott@mcl.mcl.ucsb.edu (Scott Bronson) writes:
>I have reached a stage in my projects where I would like to use
>the most effective debugger know to Macintosh.  I own TMON, I have
>MacsBug in the wings and waiting, and (I bought this LONG ago) Jasik's
>MacNosy/Debugger.

>I would just like to hear what people thing of the object-level debuggers
>out today.  Incidentally, I use THINK C for everything right now, but
>I plan on buying MPW eventually (soon as I can scrape enough cash
>together).

I use MPW, and so have access to SADE, SourceBug, and MacsBug.  I
also own a copy of Jasik's Debugger.  I have never used TMON, so I
can't comment on that.

When I am debugging C++, I almost ALWAYS use Sourcebug and Macsbug
in combination -- they work well together.  There are some things
that I want Macsbug for, there are some things that I want Sourcebug
for.  Macsbug is a very good assembly debugger, but it can grok (translate)
C++ method names.  With its 'dcmd' capability, I have several very
valuable additional tools that have been added to it to do several
specialized tasks.  Macsbug is also always available.

Sourcebug is a source level debugger.  It works with a variety of
languages, but I think it secretly is in love with Object Pascal and
MacApp.  It does fairly well with Non-MacApp C++ though.  It is a
very easy to use, friendly debugger.  It also groks objects, which
is essential to me.  It is not all that powerful though.

SADE I almost never use.  I'm sure it is very powerful, with the capability
of writing scripts to calculate fibonacci numbers and all, but it
is really stuck in a world of Pascal.  You can debug C++ or C in it,
but the data structs end up smelling of Pascal.  Personally, I find
it to be a UI disaster, and very difficult to use more than about
20% or so of its capabilities.  The new version is supposed to be
able to use the MMU to protect code, but all it did for me was crash
my system and corrupt the Q900's RAM disk.

Jasik's Disast --- err, Debugger.  It is very powerful.  The documentation
is a mess, real spaggetti.  It does have a lot of abilities that the
other debuggers don't have: it can source debug C++ in an arbitrary
code resource, for example.  However, Steve Jasik has never heard
of the Mac User Interface guidelines, and when I mentioned the idea
to him, he commented that it would cost him $5000 to print up new
manuals to make it conform, and that was too much.  It also does not
support the Extended Keyboard, 'cause Steve doesn't own one.  Personally,
I found it really very painful to use, and when it and my Q900's RAM
disk could not co-exist, I stopped using it altogether. (I re-wrote
my Photoshop plug in as an Application, and now use SourceBug on the
Application.  It works, after a fashion, and I am much less frustrated)).

+C


-------------------------------------------------------------
Cory Kempf                    EnigamI, Inc.
cory@enigami.mv.com           ...!decvax!enigami!cory
Microsoft Free and Proud Of It!... 
                           ...Microsoft Products: Just Say no.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer