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Experienced Programmers Use Google Frequently

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Re: Experienced Programmers Use Google Frequently

#11

Post by ahyperloop4u »

buserror wrote: post #2

Another essential point here is when you get 'fancy' error messages. Google is amazing at finding why (and usually, The Patch) when you fail to compile random packages. I have my own little cross-distro builder[0] and I /rarely/ bother trying to dive into autoconf/make hell before cut+pasting the exact error message into google! That very likely saved my sanity many times over :-) Otherwise I agree with the article -…

This is spot on. Sometimes it's much quicker to just plug the error into Google than to search. Saves a lot of time and work.

Re: Experienced Programmers Use Google Frequently

#12

Post by dasboth »

sarnowski wrote: post #4

This small post is spot on. The search queries could have been typed by me. One of the important things a developer has to learn is how to actually use Google for software investigation. Especially with the acronyms and very short names that we use all the time, its important to know how to structure your Google queries. Writing Google queries to quickly find the correct solutions is a skill on its own.

>> Writing Google queries to quickly find the correct solutions is a skill on its own.

This is so true, and yet I haven't ever heard of anyone asking about this in an interview. It would be an interesting skill to try and assess, not sure how it would be done though.

Re: Experienced Programmers Use Google Frequently

#13

Post by ptrincr »

Knowing how to search is an extremely useful skill.

I think we have gotten to the stage where an intelligent and determined individual can teach themselves pretty much anything by researching a subject on Google.

Hold key concepts in your head, Google for everything else :-)

Re: Experienced Programmers Use Google Frequently

#14

Post by minsight »

noobermin wrote: post #7

Let's say tomorrow there was some major catastrophy in which every disk drive or tape drive was wiped, and every computer had reset. How would we fare in rebuilding society? I guess it would be similar if in 1950, all of books lost their ink or all of scientists/engineers had amnesia. I'm not trying to make a point other than it is interesting to think about it.

We'd be fine. I have a calculator (and have owned one for about 30 years), but I still remember how to do arithmetic.

Re: Experienced Programmers Use Google Frequently

#16

Post by ptrincr »

dasboth wrote: post #12
sarnowski wrote: post #4

This small post is spot on. The search queries could have been typed by me. One of the important things a developer has to learn is how to actually use Google for software investigation. Especially with the acronyms and very short names that we use all the time, its important to know how to structure your Google queries. Writing Google queries to quickly find the correct solutions is a skill on its own.

>> Writing Google queries to quickly find the correct solutions is a skill on its own. This is so true, and yet I haven't ever heard of anyone asking about this in an interview. It would be an interesting skill to try and assess, not sure how it would be done though.

I've been involved in interview processes where candidates were presented with a problem, given a computer and asked to solve it. Usually just by searching for an error message.

Re: Experienced Programmers Use Google Frequently

#17

Post by dasboth »

>> carefully evaluating the results and consciously separating the wheat from the chaff; they don’t blindly follow or copy-paste any solution they come across

As well as writing the correct search query, this is the other important aspect of the skill of using Google. A good programmer can look at an answer on StackOverflow and quickly determine whether or not it looks "about right" and how it can be integrated into their code.

Re: Experienced Programmers Use Google Frequently

#18

Post by stephenr »

markbnj wrote: post #5

Google is certainly a 100% essential tool for programming. I use it constantly, every day, and I am sure basically every single developer does the same. The most essential point in the post, imo, is that on any given project you have to wade through the details of dozens of components and tools. There's only so much room in the average brain.

Google? No. A search engine? I'd say the vast majority of developers use one for some part of their job, yes

Re: Experienced Programmers Use Google Frequently

#19

Post by dasboth »

minsight wrote: post #14
noobermin wrote: post #7

Let's say tomorrow there was some major catastrophy in which every disk drive or tape drive was wiped, and every computer had reset. How would we fare in rebuilding society? I guess it would be similar if in 1950, all of books lost their ink or all of scientists/engineers had amnesia. I'm not trying to make a point other than it is interesting to think about it.

We'd be fine. I have a calculator (and have owned one for about 30 years), but I still remember how to do arithmetic.

That's a very general skill though. You'd be stuck if you encountered a cryptic error message in an obscure library.

Re: Experienced Programmers Use Google Frequently

#20

Post by dgacmu »

curtis wrote: post #6

I often joke that my ability to formulate good Google queries is the single most important part of my software engineering skillset. Except, you know, I'm not really joking.

Don't undercount that you also have the skill to determine whether an answer on stackoverflow (etc.) is actually correct and worthwhile.

(I taught intro to CS for the first time last year, and watched people get very hung up by subtly broken things they found on the innertubes. To the point where we simply told them not to - we'd much rather have them asking the course staff, until they've developed the experience to sort out the wheat from the chaff themselves.)

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