Probabilistic Delta debugging

Abstract

The delta debugging problem concerns how to reduce an object while preserving a certain property, and widely exists in many applications, such as compiler development, regression fault localization, and software debloating. Given the importance of delta debugging, multiple algorithms have been proposed to solve the delta debugging problem efficiently and effectively. However, the efficiency and effectiveness of the state-of-the-art algorithms are still not satisfactory. For example, the state-of-the-art delta debugging tool, CHISEL, may take up to 3 hours to reduce a single program with 14,092 lines of code, while the reduced program may be up to 2 times unnecessarily large.

Topics & Concepts