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Why some programmers talk to rubber ducks
Talking to an inanimate object like a rubber duck is a debugging technique called rubber duck debugging.
The term was shaped in 1999 by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas - the authors of the book The Pragmatic Programmer.
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Why it works
Explaining a problem (it doesn't even have to be a bug in programming) helps to look at the problem from a different perspective. That helps to better understand what one is trying to accomplish and often the error is almost obvious while explaining it to someone else.
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A very simple but particularly useful technique for finding the cause of a problem is simply to explain it to someone else. The other person should look over your shoulder at the screen, and nod his or her head constantly (like a rubber duck bobbing up and down in a bathtub).
ANDREW HUNT & DAVID THOMAS
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Rubber Duck vs. Person
Rubber duck/Inanimate object:
- very patient listener
- has infinite time
- is always available
- holds back on feedback
Person/Colleague/Friend
- not always available
- might not have time/patience to listen to the whole problem
- might give advice if the problem does not want to solve itself
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IDEAS CURATED BY
I started a habit of reading in my free time a couple months ago and this seems like a convenient place to store the key ideas of each book.
CURATOR'S NOTE
When a bug gets you stuck, explain it to a rubber duck.
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Curious about different takes? Check out our The Pragmatic Programmer Summary book page to explore multiple unique summaries written by Deepstash users.
Markus 's ideas are part of this journey:
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