=item p expr
Same as C<print {$DB::OUT} expr> in the current package. In particular,
-because this is just Perl's own B<print> function, this means that nested
+because this is just Perl's own C<print> function, this means that nested
data structures and objects are not dumped, unlike with the C<x> command.
The C<DB::OUT> filehandle is opened to F</dev/tty>, regardless of
is specified, it's evaluated each time the statement is reached: a
breakpoint is taken only if the condition is true. Breakpoints may
only be set on lines that begin an executable statement. Conditions
-don't use B<if>:
+don't use C<if>:
b 237 $x > 30
b 237 ++$count237 < 11
=item ||dbcmd
-Same as C<|dbcmd> but DB::OUT is temporarily B<select>ed as well.
+Same as C<|dbcmd> but DB::OUT is temporarily C<select>ed as well.
=item = [alias value]
=item C<signalLevel>, C<warnLevel>, C<dieLevel>
-Level of verbosity. By default, the debugger prints backtraces
-upon receiving any kind of warning (this is often annoying) and
-fatal exceptions (this is often valuable). It will attempt to print
-a message when uncaught INT, BUS, or SEGV signals arrive.
-
-To disable this behaviour, set these values to 0. If C<dieLevel>
-is 2, the debugger usurps your own exception handler and prints out
-a trace of these, replacing your exceptions with its own. This may
-be useful for some tracing purposes, but tends to hopelessly destroy
-any program that takes its exception handling seriously.
+Level of verbosity. By default, the debugger leaves your exceptions
+and warnings alone, because altering them can break correctly running
+programs. It will attempt to print a message when uncaught INT, BUS, or
+SEGV signals arrive. (But see the mention of signals in L<BUGS> below.)
+
+To disable this default safe mode, set these values to something higher
+than 0. At a level of 1, you get backtraces upon receiving any kind
+of warning (this is often annoying) or exception (this is
+often valuable). Unfortunately, the debugger cannot discern fatal
+exceptions from non-fatal ones. If C<dieLevel> is even 1, then your
+non-fatal exceptions are also traced and unceremoniously altered if they
+came from C<eval'd> strings or from any kind of C<eval> within modules
+you're attempting to load. If C<dieLevel> is 2, the debugger doesn't
+care where they came from: It usurps your exception handler and prints
+out a trace, then modifies all exceptions with its own embellishments.
+This may perhaps be useful for some tracing purposes, but tends to hopelessly
+destroy any program that takes its exception handling seriously.
=item C<AutoTrace>
You cannot get stack frame information or in any fashion debug functions
that were not compiled by Perl, such as those from C or C++ extensions.
-If you alter your @_ arguments in a subroutine (such as with B<shift>
-or B<pop>, the stack backtrace will not show the original values.
+If you alter your @_ arguments in a subroutine (such as with C<shift>
+or C<pop>, the stack backtrace will not show the original values.
+
+The debugger does not currently work in conjunction with the B<-W>
+command-line switch, because it itself is not free of warnings.
+
+If you're in a slow syscall (like C<wait>ing, C<accept>ing, or C<read>ing
+from your keyboard or a socket) and haven't set up your own C<$SIG{INT}>
+handler, then you won't be able to CTRL-C your way back to the debugger,
+because the debugger's own C<$SIG{INT}> handler doesn't understand that
+it needs to raise an exception to longjmp(3) out of slow syscalls.