Focused on the best practices for writing code as well as on the methods to perform more effective debugging, The Debugger's Handbook promotes a natural debugging approach to writing code. The author begins by examining and concretely defining just what a bug is, what circumstances are more prone to producing bugs, and how to avoid them from the start. The book does not focus on techniques for a specific programming language, but offers guidance on the basic philosophies and practices that can minimize the appearance of bugs in any language. Extensive use of examples-with sample code given in VB, VB .NET, C++, and Java-reinforce a practical understanding of the concepts and offer ample opportunity to put them to use.

The Debugger’s Handbook teaches software programmers and testers how to prevent, identify, and remove everyday bugs from applications. It provides a guide to good code-writing habits and common testing and logical debugging techniques. Written from a language-independent perspective, the book provides code samples in VB.NET, C#, C++, and Java. By using this style the book can focus on general programming concepts that are intended to provide programmers with a mental debugging toolbox no matter what language they use. Following the complete process of writing, testing, and debugging an application from beginning to end, the book begins with an exploration of computer bugs and defines exactly what they are. It then teaches programmers different techniques for identifying and avoiding bugs within their code and producing bug-free code. The book concludes with a number or common real-world scenarios. After working through this practical guide and reference, programmers will be able to think in a way that helps them to catch more bugs before any code is compiled.