.net disables script debugger

  • Thread starter Thread starter Chuck Jungmann
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Chuck Jungmann

I am very frustrated!

I poked around with Google to see if there were any problems
installing the .Net Framework before I took the leap. I couldn't find
anything that bothered me, so I downloaded and installed .Net
Framework 1.1

When I tried to run the web application I working on, I found that the
"debugger" statements in my javascript code were not opening the
script debugger. Of course now that I've discovered the problem, I
can find some discussions about it.

.Net seems to have fancy-schmancy debuggers for working with CLR
stuff, but client-side javascript doesn't use CLR, does it? It looks
as if one must buy Visual Studio.net in order to have a working script
debugger. That doesn't make any sense: you don't need Visual Studio
to write or execute client-side scripts, why should you need it to
debug them?

So, I've removed the .Net framework and SDK, but I still can't get the
script debugger to run. Trying to open it with View->Script
Debugger->Open fails, and the breakpoints are ignored, even in my WSF
files. I've tried my previously successful script debugger fixes (see
MS Knowledge Base #281427 and #284973 ) to no avail. It is starting
to look like I'll need to reinstall the OS.

My opinion of .Net is pretty low. While it promises much I'm
interested in, if it breaks my computer, and the only fix is an
expensive development package I don't otherwise need, I can't see any
good reason to use it. I would _never_ develop anything with .Net
that I would give to a client.

I hope someone can tell me where I'm wrong about this, but I'm not too
hopeful.
 
You can develop code without VS.NET. And, there is a debugger included with
the package that you can run without installing VS.NET. In addition, there is
SharpDevelop, an open source development tool that you can download. You are
not stuck with VS.NET, although I would recommend it over other tools.

The problems you are experiencing are not unique to .NET. There are similar
issues with Java, for example.

Client side debugging has always been a pain without a tool. Not sure of the
particular issues with .NET. In general, fat clients are difficult on the web.

---

Gregory A. Beamer
MVP; MCP: +I, SE, SD, DBA

***************************
Think Outside the Box!
***************************
 
Thanks for responding,

Being able to develop object-oriented, strongly-typed, compiled code
(to CLR) without needed VS was what convinced me to try .Net. I had
hoped that it would combine the ease of development I find with
Windows Script Components with the greater performance and flexibility
of ATL/C++.

I've been doing a lot of client-side processing with "Remote
Scripting," first with hidden IFrames, and now with XmlHttpRequest and
SQL template queries. Since most of the work is done on the client,
I need to be able to debug there.

The MS Script Debugger is not a perfect tool, but it's works well
enough for me to get accustomed to its quirks and be productive. Once
I get my computer configured to run Script Debugger, I never have a
problem with it. I'm pretty disappointed that .Net prevents it from
working, and that this issue has been open for a while with no real
solution from Microsoft (that I can find at least).

Incidentally, now that I've uninstalled .Net, I find I can open Script
Debugger and step through Javascript code. Inconvenient, but
workable. What I'll miss is the JIT debugging. I use "debugger"
commands like ASSERT in C/C++, and it won't work without JIT.

Oh well...I guess that if it was too easy, anyone could do it.

Chuck
 
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