The slides from Software Diagnostics Services seminar (13th of May 2013) about phenomenological, hermeneutical, and analytical approaches to software diagnostics. Topics include: Definitions of Software Diagnostics, Diagnostics Pattern, The Definition of Problem from Historical Thesaurus, The Definition of Understanding of Problems, Projection to Patterns, Patterns-in-artifact, Da-Signs, CARE, Software Phenomenology and Hermeneutics, Understanding of Patterns, Sources of Interpretation, Patterns as Phenomena, Explanation in Software Diagnostics, Human-Assisted Software Diagnostics, Analytical Philosophy and Abductive Diagnostics, Software and Time.

1. Philosophy of
Software Diagnostics
Dmitry Vostokov
Software Diagnostics Services
Version 1.0

2. If want to be the best software diagnostician you
need to be a philosopher.
After Galen’s thoughts on medicine
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3. Prerequisites
Interest in software diagnostics,
troubleshooting and debugging
Philosophical attitude and interest in
meta-questions
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4. Goal
Synthesize philosophy of
software diagnostics
from its best practices
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5. Software Diagnostics
A discipline studying abnormal
software structure and behavior in
software execution artifacts (such
as memory dumps, software and
network traces and logs) using
pattern-oriented analysis
methodologies.
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6. Diagnostics Pattern
A common recurrent identifiable
problem together with a set of
recommendations and possible
solutions to apply in a specific
context.
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7. The First Question
What is a Problem?
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8. Problem
 Difficulty – problem 1641 business 1843 (colloq.)
core c1460-1652 prob 1934 (colloq.) hang-up
1959 (slang) problem 1874 sub-problem 1907
pseudo-problem 1911
 Mathematics – prob 1864
 Materials of topic of debate / discussion –
problem 1529 – 1646 (question, thesis, argument,
issue, consultation, debating point)
 Enquiry, questioning – problem 1594 good
question 1918
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9. Prob-lem(ma)
A prob-lemma is a pair:
 An issue
 ~Understanding of an issue
Проблема (Problema, in Russian)
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10. ~Understanding
How do we understand a problem?
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11. Projection
Understanding – projection to patterns
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12. Patterns
Pattern-in-artefact
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13. Da-sign
 A pattern in the artefact for an issue that
has a concern for us
 Understanding of an issue and a pattern
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14. CARE
 Da-sign as a meaning-pattern
 Underlying meaning-structure for da-
signs
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15. Hermeneutics
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Software User
Interaction
Software
Artefacts
Software
Diagnostician
Understanding
Understanding

16. Remote Interaction
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Software
User
Software
Diagnostician
Support Support
Software
Diagnostician

17. Understanding
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Software User
Software
Diagnostician
HSI

18. Understanding Patterns
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 Existing patterns
 Excavating new patterns
 Better understanding of software

19. Sources of Interpretation
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 Problem descriptions
 Human-software interaction
 Interaction itself
 Artefacts

20. Phenomenology
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Various phenomena (patterns) in:
HCI
Life-world
Computer-world
Artefacts

21. Why Phenomenology?
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 Involves human side
 About meaning and understanding
 Includes feeling and mood
The best of Husserl and Heidegger

22. Patterns as Phenomena
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 Meaning-structures in meaningful
world of experience
 Common meaning-structure
 Leaving Human-Software dichotomy
outside: patterns of phenomena

23. Software Phenomenology
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 Only experience
 Bracketing implementation [code]
 “Free fantasy variation” (Husserl)
Free fantasy investigation
(software narratology)
 Pattern discourse
 Common meaning-structure in
Computer-world

24. Hermeneutics
 Meeting and dialog narratives
 Software problem narratives
 Software execution narratives
 Software trace and log patterns
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25. Phenomenological Hermeneutics
Meaning-structure-patterns
 Software problem narratives
 Software problem description patterns
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26. Explanation
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 Recommendations
 Possible solutions
Problem Prob-lemmas Da-signs

27. Human-Assisted
Software Diagnostics
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28. Computer Assistance
 (Logic, Language, Software) Medicine
 (Logic, Language, Software) Software
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29. Analytical Philosophy
Software as a Logico-Linguistic Machine
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30. Abductive Diagnostics
1. Fact: B
2. “If A then B” explains B
3. Root cause A is probable
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31. Further Reading
Philosophy
 “Martin Heidegger: The Possibility of A Russian Philosophy” by A. Dugin
(in Russian language)
 “Introduction to Metaphysics” by Martin Heidegger
 “Being and Time” by Martin Heidegger (blue book)
 “Heidegger: A Guide for the Perplexed” by David Cerbone
 “The Hermeneutics of Medicine and the Phenomenology of Health: Steps Towards
a Philosophy of Medical Practice” by Fredrik Svenaeus
Pattern-Oriented Software Diagnostics
 Software Diagnostics Institute
 Memory Dump Analysis Anthology: Volumes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, …
Volume 7 is in preparation (May-June, 2013)
 Introduction to Pattern-Driven Software Diagnostics
 Introduction to Systemic Software Diagnostics
 Introduction to Pattern-Based Software Diagnostics
 Introduction to Software Narratology
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32. Software and Time
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33. Q&A
Please send your feedback using the contact
form on DumpAnalysis.com
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34. Thank you for attendance!
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