I also like to espouse a philosophy that problems should be investigated from inside out. Start with what you had direct control over, assume the issue is with something you did. Then work your way out.
However, I have watched more than one person do the exact opposite: assume everything else was wrong before even looking at their own contributions.
And this holds not just for programming, but for any endeavor.
My first job in the 1990s was programming VB for MS Access. I learned the hard way that if the bug wasn't obvious, it was probably Microsoft's fault. And over and over again I was able to demonstrate that it really WAS their fault.
My next job was in Perl. It took me a couple of years to find a bug that wasn't my own mistake.
I also like to espouse a philosophy that problems should be investigated from inside out. Start with what you had direct control over, assume the issue is with something you did. Then work your way out.
However, I have watched more than one person do the exact opposite: assume everything else was wrong before even looking at their own contributions.
And this holds not just for programming, but for any endeavor.