Software Diagnostics and Observability Institute

PDF: https://www.dumpanalysis.org/files/Five_Strands_of_Diagnostics_Observabi...

Let us consider five histories of diagnostics, observability, and debugging: software, hardware, medical, ML and AI, and technical. We encounter different objects and instruments, but also recurrent questions. What was observed? Which evidence was preserved? What could explain the result, and what additional observation would distinguish the alternatives?

This synthesis brings the five histories together through their diagnostic artifacts and analysis operations. We follow the development from local signs and individual measurements to trajectories, embedded observation, distributed evidence, and AI-assisted investigation. We also examine the means of diagnosis themselves: a missing trace, drifting sensor, unsuitable reference, or misleading evaluator can become part of the problem.

Analysis patterns provide a candidate language for organizing this work. Four worked cases examine how selected operations transfer between strands, including the reconstruction of an agent trajectory and the investigation of a training regression across hardware and software. Each comparison retains the evidence requirements, verification, and limits of its diagnostic objects.

Companion overview to the five linked histories:

Software
Hardware
Medical
ML and AI
Technical