Dang! My folks had a bad enough time with
the debugger to stop using it, but this is amazing!
I’ve had good experiences with GDB
on other platforms, and using it with DDD is nice (on Linux), so I’m
assuming that the hell that is debugging is related to the UI in Xcode.
I’ll repeat – good luck.
Bill
From:
xcode-users-bounces+billl=email@hidden
[mailto:xcode-users-bounces+billl=email@hidden] On Behalf Of Andy Wiese
Sent: Thursday, November 04, 2004
5:49 PM
To: Andy Wiese
Cc: Xcode Users
Subject: Re: How bad is GDB and
C++? (was: GDB and c++ template class)
I got this response
today. The sender forgot to copy the list, and asked me to repost it for him.
Though not reassuring, I have to admit it brightened my day...
From: email@hidden
Subject: Re:
How bad is GDB and C++? (was: GDB and c++ template class)
Date: November
4, 2004 3:56:54 PM CST
To: email@hidden
Andy,
I got a pretty grim report on GDB and C++ debugging in the previous
post from Mr. Tregaskis. Not that I doubt him, but I hope to ask the
question of a broader audience. Should I even bother trying to develop
a fairly complex generic c++ project in Xcode with GDB?
I am working on porting the VCF to OS X (see http://vcf.sourceforge.net), it's
all C++ at around 100K LOC, and fairly complex, and uses templates in some
parts, and STL throughout.
So far, in my experience, to say that GDB utterly blows chunks and is one of
the most rectally challenged programs I have ever had the misfortune of using
is being nice. In fact it's being generous to a fault. You know what? Let's
just be honest and lay all the cards on the table: I'd rather give myself an
emergency appendectomy with a dull spoon in a dark room using the backlight
from an iPod, than deal with the schizoid tendencies of GDB.
I have had so much frustration with GDB either dropping breakpoints, setting
the wrong one, *adding* breakpoints seemingly at random, crashing while
attempting to step through a function, or, just for kicks and giggles, crashing
when I try and resume after having stepped through some code, that I have completely
given up on it and just use printfs now.
I have worked without a debugger (like back before there were
debuggers, iirc), and
I've worked with a debugger, and life is better
with a debugger. I don't think I can afford to sacrifice the
productivity if GDB truly can't support c++ debugging in some fashion.
I don't need fancy features, (e.g. CW breakpoints by template
instance), but if I can't step through templatized classes and inspect
local variables, I think I have to give up on Xcode.
Sounds like you'll have to give up XCode then :(. Like I said, I just use
printf now, it drives me crazy (I come from a Win32 background and I'm used to
having solid debugging tools, i.e. VC6 or Delphi),
but I just don't know what else to do. I can't afford CW yet, but I guarantee
you that the moment I can, I'll *leap* over to their site and purchase a copy
as fast as I possible, since using GCC/GDB is such a sucky experience.
Cheers, hope it works out for you.
Jim