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Why some programmers talk to rubber ducks

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

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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Rubber Duck vs. Person

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
  • mig...

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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 ba...

ANDREW HUNT & DAVID THOMAS

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markusknitt

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.

When a bug gets you stuck, explain it to a rubber duck.

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American Parkour

A prominent disciple of Parkour is Mark Toorock, from Washington DC, who follows David Belle, and hosts a website called American Parkour (at the beginning of the 2000's)

He was impressed by the stunts and the daring shown by David and has followed it in a low-key (less dangerous) way...

Origin of Parkour

The concept of Parkour was thought of by a then-teenager named David Belle in a small place called Lisses, near Paris, France. His father, Raymond Belle was a hero fireman and acrobat. This was in the 90s, and the teenager was greatly influenced by Spiderman and Tarzan. His acrob...

Mix It Up

Spending too much time on one topic can be counterproductive. It is better to switch and rotate between topics, something called ‘interleaving’. 

The technique has an in-built momentary confusion once you switch back and forth, resulting in a better long-term recall of the material.

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