Obstacles to Debugging
The Unreliability of Witnesses
In the real world, witnesses have ulterior motives, they forget things and embellish others, they make unwarranted assumptions, and they misidentify suspects. Why should it surprise us that humans who cannot or will not get it straight in a life-or-death murder mystery should automatically turn into paragons of the scientific method when reporting computer problems? Of course they don't.
Anything reported to you needs to receive the same critical treatment that the mystery sleuth gives his prime witnesses. Of course you cross-examine them! You usually don't need bright lights and rubber hoses, although there have been times when I wished for them. Question everything. "What do you mean it's ...
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