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The gdb debugger console should be disabled by default. I suggest it not be available to users at all, but be left for gdb-lite developers via a Java property passed at startup (netbeans.cnd.gdb-console perhaps?)
I'm not sure I understand who reported this DEFECT. Is it from a customer? Is it a bug-a-thon feedback? As far as I know all IDEs have some kind of Debugger Console, so this issue cannot be a DEFECT. I suggest to find out what is the problem with current Debugger Console, and what particularly should be changed and how it should be changed. After that I can start fixing the problems. While this information is not available, I would consider this IZ as INCOMPLETE.
Bug-a-thon users found it confusing although none said it shouldn't be there. I'm the one saying that. The gdb/mi interface is *not* a user friendly interface. Its purpose is to all gdb-lite developers to track whats happening and hand enter mi commands. This is not something I want exposed to all users! I suggest it be invisible except if a property is set. Its current output could be saved to a log file. That would allow users to attach the log to bug reports. Of course the log file should be removed when netbeans exits. Is that enough detail or do you need more?
I changed this IZ to ENHANCEMENT because it is not a DEFECT. For now gdb-lite does not have complete set of features, so users need gdb console to get information, which is not available in GUI (memory, register, disassembler, call function, ...). Also gdb console is extremely helpful to localize the problem in gdb-lite. It is primary way to investigate all issues. To file a useful bug report users have to copy-paste all lines from gdb console (which is a pretty simple action). It would be great to provide a more convenient way to add this information to bug report (e.q. see IZ 74562 menu item File-> Bug Report), but copy-paste is much more convenient than to attach a log file manually. I agree with the idea to save all necessary information in a log file and to attach it to bug report, but it should be done automatically, as it was done in WorkShop, and as it is done in all modern tools (Mozilla, IE, Firefox, Thunderbird, and many other GUI applications).
I'm changing this back to a defect. This is a non-user-friendly window and I consider showing it a defect rather than an enhancement. While I agree that it allows users to find information we don't currently have UI support for, I don't believe enough real users will be able to do that to justify this as a "real" window. It also provides less incentive to add these missing features. I also agree that its useful while debugging gdb-lite. Which is why I recommend keeping the feature available via a command line property.
Fixed. The Gdb Console no longer shows by default. Its become a 2nd class citizen which only shows via a property which must be set (on the command line) at startup. Its not in the Windows->Debugging menu, either. The property name is "gdb.console.window" and it must be set to "true" in order to display the console.