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Demystifying Debuggers, Part 5: Instruction-Level Stepping & Breakpoints

Unpacking how kernel and CPU debugger mechanisms can be used to implement instruction-level stepping and breakpoints.
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Programming Essays

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Multi-Core By Default
On multi-core programming, not as a special-case technique, but as a new dimension in all code.
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Programmers Are Users (Bad Performance Makes Everyone Less Efficient)
On the often-referenced notion of saving “programmer cycles” at the expense of CPU cycles.
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Upstream & Downstream
Separating computational cause from effect.
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Multi-Threading & Mutation
On mutation, how it subtly occurs in single-threaded code, and how it can disrupt the process of upgrading single-threaded code to being multi-threaded.
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Demystifying Debuggers

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Demystifying Debuggers, Part 5: Instruction-Level Stepping & Breakpoints
Unpacking how kernel and CPU debugger mechanisms can be used to implement instruction-level stepping and breakpoints.
 • Ryan Fleury
Demystifying Debuggers, Part 4: CPU Features & Debuggers
On CPU features that debuggers can use, like interruption instructions, debug registers, single-stepping mode, and more.
 • Ryan Fleury
Demystifying Debuggers, Part 3: Debugger-Kernel Interaction
On how kernels collect and expose information about program execution to debuggers.
 • Ryan Fleury
Demystifying Debuggers, Part 2: The Anatomy Of A Running Program
On the concepts involved in a running program. What happens, exactly, when you double click an executable file, or launch it from the command line, and…
 • Ryan Fleury

UI

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UI, Part 9: Keyboard and Gamepad Navigation
Techniques for supporting keyboard and gamepad navigation without overburdening builder code.
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UI, Part 8: State Mutation, Jank, and Hotkeys
Making the case for limiting the timeframe during which important state mutations can occur, making these mutations homogeneous, and how this idea can…
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UI, Part 10: Simple Single-Line Text Input
Many custom UIs don't implement common keyboard shortcuts in their single-line text fields. It doesn't have to be this way - let's look at a way to…
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UI, Part 7: Where IMGUI Ends
Exploring strategies for high-level interface instantiation entities (windows, tabs, panels). Making the case for why their state should not be managed…
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Culture

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The Magic of the Better Software Conference
Why BSC worked; why other conferences don't.
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The Marketplace Of Ideals
On Handmade, polarizing Internet debate, rational discussion, controversial personas, tribal conflict, and how they relate to the future of computing.
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Software Kingdoms
On economic principles, free & open source software, and paywalls.
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Regulation Cannot Save A Defeated Culture
On markets, regulatory capture, Big Tech, and tangibly improving the software world.
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All Programming

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Demystifying Debuggers, Part 5: Instruction-Level Stepping & Breakpoints
Unpacking how kernel and CPU debugger mechanisms can be used to implement instruction-level stepping and breakpoints.
 • Ryan Fleury
Demystifying Debuggers, Part 4: CPU Features & Debuggers
On CPU features that debuggers can use, like interruption instructions, debug registers, single-stepping mode, and more.
 • Ryan Fleury
Multi-Core By Default
On multi-core programming, not as a special-case technique, but as a new dimension in all code.
 • Ryan Fleury
Demystifying Debuggers, Part 3: Debugger-Kernel Interaction
On how kernels collect and expose information about program execution to debuggers.
 • Ryan Fleury

Digital Grove

Towards better computers.
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