A computer program or tool used to find and fix errors (bugs) in software code. Allows programmers to examine program execution step-by-step to identify problems.
Coined in the 1940s-50s from 'debug,' which itself came from the literal removal of insects from early computer hardware. The term was popularized by computer pioneer Grace Hopper after finding an actual moth in a computer relay.
The first computer 'bug' was literally a bug - a moth found stuck in a Harvard Mark II computer in 1947 by Grace Hopper's team. They taped the moth into their logbook with the note 'First actual case of bug being found,' coining both 'bug' and 'debugging' for the computer age.
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