1. What is Debugging?

Programming is a complex process. Since it is done by human beings, errors often occur. Programming errors are called bugs and the process of tracking them down and correcting them is called debugging. Some claim that in 1945, a dead moth caused a problem on relay number 70, panel F, of one of the first computers at Harvard, and the term bug has remained in use since. For more about this historic event, see first bug.

Three kinds of errors can occur in a program: syntax errors, runtime errors, and semantic errors. It is useful to distinguish between them in order to track them down more quickly.

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