Question for programmers re “Show me your flowchart and conceal your tables, and I shall continue to be mystified. Show me your tables, and I won't usually need your flowchart; it'll be obvious." -- Fred Brooks, The Mythical Man Month (1975)
Where do logs fit in this idea?
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Ie, how much can you infer about an information processing system if you only have its logs to work with (both normal ops and crash) with no access to code/database schemas?
Assume logs are typical design, verbose, unencrypted, unobfuscated
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For broad notions of “log”, this is a topic of active research. At one extreme, there are “record/replay” tools — rr-project.org is a fine example though many other variations exist — that enable new forms of debugging (applied understanding) like time-travel debugging.
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I’ve seen that before. A little too aestheticized for my tastes like all of Victor’s stuff, but useful.
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Sure. Also challenging to translate into industrial practice, and doesn’t work at delve into the hierarchical intent of most programs. I’ve been thinking about it while noodling on a system for comprehending Makefile execution...
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