How can developers effectively debug PHP code on older versions like PHP 5.4.4 when newer debugging tools may not be compatible?

Developers can effectively debug PHP code on older versions like PHP 5.4.4 by using traditional debugging techniques such as print statements, var_dump, and error_log. These methods may not be as advanced as newer debugging tools, but they are still effective in identifying and resolving issues in the code.

// Example code snippet demonstrating the use of traditional debugging techniques
$variable = "Hello, World!";
var_dump($variable); // Output the variable's value and type
error_log("An error occurred"); // Log an error message to the server's error log
echo "Debugging message: " . $variable; // Print a debugging message along with the variable's value