Systematic Debugging

Overview

Random fixes waste time and create new bugs. Quick patches mask underlying issues.

Core principle: ALWAYS find root cause before attempting fixes. Symptom fixes are failure.

Violating the letter of this process is violating the spirit of debugging.

The Iron Law

NO FIXES WITHOUT ROOT CAUSE INVESTIGATION FIRST
NO FIX WITHOUT A FAILING TEST THAT PROVES THE BUG EXISTS

If you haven't completed Phase 1, you cannot propose fixes. If you don't have a test or script that reproduces the bug, you haven't proven you understand it.