A Dynamic Debugging System for MDL
Name
MIT-LCS-TM-094.pdf
Size
17.11 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
88b36751247a13cd5d061bfe5af81c9b
Author(s)
Berez, Joel M.
Date Issued
January 1978
Series/Report no.
MIT-LCS-TM-094
Abstract
Program debugging is a time consuming process. Conventional debugging techniques and aids typically give the user a narrow view of the program's operation, making debigging difficult. A debugging system that would present a clear overall picture of a program's behavior and would be both flexible and simple to operate would be a valuable tool. Such a system was designed and implemented in and for MDL, a high-level applicative programming language. This report discusses: the design alternatives considered during the debigging system's design and implementation phases, the reasons for the resulting design choices, and the system attributes. A major attribute of the system (MEND) is that it does not simulate the program being debugged but instead monitors it from another process. This attribute results in a robust and viable debugging system, because MEND need not be modified in order to handle each new extension to MDL and/or each new user-defined primitive.
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