LISTEN: A tool to investigate the use of sound for the analysis of program behavior

We describe the architecture and use of a tool named LISTEN. This is a general purpose tool to instrument computer programs so that during program execution aspects of program behavior are mapped to audible sound. Ongoing research aimed at investigating the usefulness of sound in various programming-related tasks and a lack of supporting tools led to the development of LISTEN. This tool is expected to find use in tasks such as program testing and debugging, software-development environments for the visually handicapped, and data analysis using aural cues. We also report our initial experience gathered during exploratory use of LISTEN and provide a summary of ongoing research using this tool.