Debugging Complex Stuff

A talk on how we debug complex stuff: software and ourselves.

A metaphor for better mental health, calmer life, better work-life balance.

I'd love to give this talk at your company or meetup. Feel free to contact me.

1. Debugging Complex Stuff Luiz // luiz.dev
2. Debugging code 1. Signals 2. 3. 4.
3. Signals ◦ Linting ◦ StackTrace ◦ TVs Monitoring on the wall ◦ Performance drop ◦ Higher number of tickets ◦ Unexpected side-effects
4. Signals ◦ Might be false positives ‍♂ ◦ But we can't ignore them. Gotta give them some love ◦ Regardless if it’s a false positive it’s good for us — we learn and improve ourselves for the future
5. Debugging code 1. Signals 2. Admit something is off 3. 4.
6. Debugging code 1. Signals 2. Admit something is off 3. Analyze context && Test hypothesis && Repeat 4.
7. Analyze context && Test hypothesis && Repeat See error line WTH could be wrong? Try to identify the cause When was it better? What changed? Smt I've done? Smt external and I can't change? Maybe my part is fine but due the context, it doesn't work? Ask for help
8. Debugging code 1. Signals 2. Admit something is off 3. Analyze context && Test hypothesis && Repeat 4. Make it better & Learn \o/
9. Make it better & Learn \o/ ◦ The sooner the better ◦ Even if (especially if) it has reached production (duh!) ◦ If we're in a safe environment we usually feel safe & supported to say: "Yo! Sorry! I broke the build! ‍♂ Let me try to fix it. Help is welcome" ◦ Monitor more / more often / more deeply
11. Debugging code 1. Signals 2. Admit something is off 3. Analyze context && Test hypothesis && Repeat 4. Make it better & Learn \o/
12. Debugging ourselves 1. Signals 2. Admit something is off 3. Analyze context && Test hypothesis && Repeat 4. Make it better & Learn \o/
13. Debugging ourselves 1. Signals 2. 3. 4.
14. Signals ◦ Linting ◦ StackTrace ◦ TVs Monitoring on the wall ◦ Performance drop ◦ Higher number of tickets ◦ Unexpected side-effects ◦ Muscle tension ◦ Insomnia || Can't focus ◦ Acidic stomach . ◦ How people are reacting ◦ Irritability || Taking out on others ◦ Relationships starting to degrade
15. Signals ◦ Might be false positives ‍♂ ◦ But we can't ignore them. Gotta give them some love ◦ Regardless if it’s a false positive it’s good for us — we learn and improve ourselves for the future Are we just a “bag of chemicals”?
16. Debugging ourselves 1. Signals 2. Admit something is off 3. 4.
17. Debugging Oneself 1. Signals 2. Admit something is off 3. Analyze context && Test hypothesis && Repeat 4.
18. Analyze context && Test hypothesis && Repeat See error line WTH could be wrong? Try to identify the cause When was it better? What changed? Smt I've done? Smt external and I can't change? Maybe my part is fine but due the context, it doesn't work? Ask for help
19. Analyze context && Test hypothesis && Repeat WTH could be wrong? Try to identify the cause When was it better? What changed? Smt I've done? Smt external and I can't change? Maybe my part is fine but due the context, it doesn't work? Ask for help
20. Debugging ourselves 1. Signals 2. Admit something is off 3. Analyze context && Test hypothesis && Repeat 4. Make it better & Learn \o/
21. Make it better & Learn \o/ ◦ The sooner the better ◦ Even if (especially if) it has reached production (duh!) ◦ If we're in a safe environment we usually feel safe & supported to say: "Yo! Sorry! I broke the build! ‍♂ Let me try to fix it. Help is welcome" ◦ Monitor more / more often / more deeply
22. Make it better & Learn \o/ ◦ The sooner the better ◦ Even if (especially if) it has had consequences (duh!) ◦ If we're in a safe environment we usually feel safe & supported to say: "Yo! Sorry! I messed up! ‍♂ Let me try to be better next time. Help is welcome" ◦ Monitor more / more often / more deeply
23. On improving our “debugging” skills
24. Debugging code skills ◦ Can you imagine your career without the mentoring you’ve received, the 1-1s with your managers, the candid feedback, the hard conversations, the books, courses, conferences, proper tooling…?
25. Debugging ourselves skills ◦ So why when it comes to our mental health and soft skills we take the isolationist approach and just wing it? ◦ There are similarly tons of resources, practices and professionals for improving our own debugging! ◦ Let’s chat and share what works for us.
26. Happy Debugging Complex Stuff