2016-03-18 12:07:40 -04:00
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rubber duck debugging
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2016-03-18 12:17:57 -04:00
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Hackers can sometimes get hung up on particular coding problems or bug fixes.
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When this happens it can sometimes be useful to deploy the rubber duck
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debugging method, which is to explain your problem (or how you think the
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system should work) to someone else. If you don't have a willing accomplice
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then an inanimate object - such as a rubber duck - will do. The act of
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explaining or trying to teach someone forces you to think about the problem
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from different angles and so may lead to a breakthrough. This is related to
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developmental psychology and the notion of thought as subsumed language and
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language as a behavior regulation system. Defects and hangups in your
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language machine may become more obvious if you invoke it explicitly and
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produce a coherent narrative. Just ask Dr Freud.
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