Hi,

On Tue, Dec 3, 2013 at 6:00 PM, Alexandre Bergel <alexandre.bergel@me.com> wrote:

Hi!

Here are my bits

> Since a while, the Moose 5.0 image comes with GTDebugger and GTInspector installed by default.
>
> These tools are already useable, but there still is a long way to go. For this, we need feedback. So:
> - did you use any of them?

Yes. I use the debugger and inspector.
The debugger has an annoying problem with Cmd-s: method does not get recompiled, but I can live for now with pressing an icon.

Ok.

The inspector is fine with me, even though I have not used it that much to navigate between objects.

I see. I mentioned on other occasions, that since I am using the GTInspector I am spending much more time looking at objects than I did before. It is the sliding and the preview possibilities that makes the difference for me. I am still trying to write up the core ideas behind the GTInspector and describe some scenarios in which it is useful. Maybe this could change something.

> - first impression in one-two words (e.g., strange, useless, frustrating, too white, funny, productive).

happy

> - what problems did you find?

the debugger could be improved I feel. For example, consider the following screenshot:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/31543901/TMP/Screen%20Shot%202013-12-03%20at%201.55.36%20PM.png
I obtained it by evaluating a self halt in a workspace. There is not enough room for showing the source code. And there is too much (white) room for the instance variables

I am not quite convinced of how to show variables either, but your example is not necessarily relevant either given that you are looking at nil and you have essentially no interest in digging into that object either. The situation is slightly different when the receiver is slightly more complicated and less easy to understand. In this case, you get a full inspector at the bottom.

Another problem is that the benefits are not obvious since I am using the tools pretty much the same way that the standard ones. What can I get from them I think should be made more explicit and apparent. Maybe with a help icon or something?

I agree. Communication is essential now. The GTInspector is already different. The GTDebugger will be different once we have the three custom debuggers for Announcement, Glamour and PetitParser available (it should be soon now).

My idea is to provide a set of hands-on stories on how these tools supported some debugging/inspecting scenario. For example like this one:

http://www.humane-assessment.com/blog/debugging-the-debugger-with-the-inspector

This is why your stories are important. But, any other idea of how to communicate these tools are more than welcome.

> - what did you like?

That they work :-)

Ok :).

Cheers,

Doru

Alexandre

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