Competitive Debugging: Toward Contests Promoting Debugging as a Skill

Explore a 31-minute conference talk from ACM SIGPLAN that introduces the concept of Competitive Debugging as a novel approach to promote debugging skills. Learn about a proposed format for debugging contests designed to engage participants and motivate them to enhance their debugging abilities. Discover the findings from pilot events and a main event, including how the format encouraged participants to reflect on their debugging processes and compare approaches with others. Gain insights into the potential benefits of Competitive Debugging for providing developers with opportunities to improve their debugging techniques and learn new tools. Understand the format of a debugging contest and receive guidance on hosting a Competitive Debugging event.