Bananas - bananahome.com

I found this on the developerWorks Notes/Domino 6 and 7 forum, put there by Doug Finner:

http://www-10.lotus.com/ldd/nd6forum.nsf/DateAllThreadedweb/18fb3f7aa3bafea88525757b0069239b?OpenDocument
http://lists.ethernal.org/oldarchives/cantlug-0211/msg00174.html

We called it the Rubber Duck method of debugging. It goes like this:

1) Beg, borrow, steal, buy, fabricate or otherwise obtain a rubber duck (bathtub variety)
2) Place rubber duck on desk and inform it you are just going to go over some code with it, if that's all right.
3) Explain to the duck what you code is supposed to do, and then go into detail and explain things line by line
4) At some point you will tell the duck what you are doing next and then realise that that is not in fact what you are actually doing. The duck will sit there serenely, happy in the knowledge that it has helped you on your way.

Works every time. Actually, if you don't have a rubber duck you could at a pinch ask a fellow programmer or engineer to sit in.

Andy (original poster)

1. Keith Brooks2009-03-18 14:16:20
Homepage: http://www.vanessabrooks.com

ROTFLMAO!!!!!!

Now to steal one of my kids rubber ducks!

LOL!

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2. Simon O'Doherty2009-03-18 14:17:24
Homepage: http://https://www.bleedyellow.com/blogs/Simon/

A good book on development is Pragmatic Programmer. Which I believe is where rubber ducking came from.

Most people just come around to your desk to talk out loud instead so don't forget to have the sign "Talk to the duck".

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3. Gregg Eldred2009-03-19 22:24:38
Homepage: http://www.ns-tech.com/blog/geldred.nsf

LOL! I posted the exact same thing:

{ Link }

Nice to see, however, that I am not alone when reading through the forums.

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4. Peter2009-03-19 22:48:50

@Gregg: I like to browse the forums when I have the time, and get the benefit of both learning and teaching. See you over there!

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