Experienced Programmers Use Google Frequently • Hacker News Board

Re: Experienced Programmers Use Google Frequently

#161

Post by SeanDav » Sun, May 01, 2016, 10:04 AM UTC

kyberias wrote: post #24

koolba wrote: post #9

I not only use Google frequently, I use it to search for things I myself have written in the past. I can't count the number of times I've Googled for a programming question where the answer is found on a Stack Overflow page I've written. If it's a particularly old answer that I've completely forgotten, I've even thought to myself, " Wow this genius sounds just like me! "[1]. [1]: ... as well as " This idiot has no cl…

Have you tried to pat yourself on the back by trying to upvote your own answer in Stack Overflow? I tried once. They didn't let me do it.

You can answer your own question and mark your own answer as the correct answer, which does benefit your SO score.

Re: Experienced Programmers Use Google Frequently

#162

Post by nsgi » Sun, May 01, 2016, 10:24 AM UTC

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 retain knowledge of technological advancements, but no one would have to use legacy software.

Re: Experienced Programmers Use Google Frequently

#163

Post by sleepychu » Sun, May 01, 2016, 10:31 AM UTC

kpil wrote: post #160

sleepychu wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think they mean looking for the value/path that doesn't make sense.

Yes. I see people getting hung up on irrelevant issues. It happens to me on occasions, but some people seems to get stuck on side effects and irrelevant errors and messages. I find it to be very irritating if it happens for people that should know better...

The important thing to remember is that as sure you are that they're wrong, they're sure that they're right.

In general I find that asking them to explain why they think this is causing the behaviour you're seeing they can usually work out they're wrong/convince you they're right. Of course this only works if they don't scream "I've found the bug" every time you step forward.

Re: Experienced Programmers Use Google Frequently

#164

Post by k__ » Sun, May 01, 2016, 10:58 AM UTC

toast0 wrote: post #144

k__ wrote: post #122

1. Google if someone had the same problem and fixed it. 2. Hope you're using OSS software and simply browse the source to find answers. The second approach is a bit slower at first, but after you dismantled a bunch of repos it becomes natural, you get faster and the answers you find are more reliable.

Having done enough of the second approach, I find it hard to understand why people do the first -- why see what people wrote about what something does when you can just see what it does. Even man pages are some amount of here say, versus inspecting the code. That said, I do web search some specific terms frequently to get to certain documentation that I trust, SMS search is the easiest way to get there consistently.

Well, people think if they're using libs they couldn't write themselves, they don't think they could understand the code.

For example, when I used Leaflet, I had no idea how this whole geo stuff worked, so I assumed that the code would be like higher math to me.

Re: Experienced Programmers Use Google Frequently

#165

Post by thenomad » Sun, May 01, 2016, 11:10 AM UTC

arsenide wrote: post #123

Keyframe wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had a guy, on stackoverflow, commenting condescendingly on my question (or was it an answer, can't remember) that I was wrong and I should edit my post with his answer instead. All would be well if it wasn't on a 6 year old post at the time, and he was wrong. Ah, stackoverflow - what happened to you? It was fine and dandy when it was all loose. Now you ask a question and it's immediately flagged for various reasons…

The one time I posted a question on SO, it got flagged as duplicate and there were links to multiple other questions that were not even remotely the same to mine. Even more so, the tagged questions were not even mutually the same! It took two hours to carefully craft my question just to have it immediately shot down. It is needless to say I have not posted again since.

Yup. If I post anything on SO or related sites it's because I hope to get an answer before the question is inevitably closed.

I just assume that my question won't fit their guidelines, regardless of what it is, these days.

Re: Experienced Programmers Use Google Frequently

#166

Post by nraynaud » Sun, May 01, 2016, 11:35 AM UTC

bobwaycott wrote: post #98

nraynaud wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I live in France, and I hate localized linux distributions, you can't google error messages when it's localized. I sometimes try to re-translate the message in English and google it. Error messages are not messages for the users to diagnose anymore, they are keywords for google, give them a number. I google and if it fails, I'll try to use my brain.

Perhaps we need error messages that include a Google link for searching that error.

there is an ironic situation: in Google Chrome, when you get an error (like a rejected certificate, or something a bit browsery), they give you a link to a completely unhelpful "help" page about the chrome browser, instead of a google search "thatsite.com ".

Re: Experienced Programmers Use Google Frequently

#167

Post by iaml » Sun, May 01, 2016, 12:04 PM UTC

DanielDent wrote: post #52

I've been finding Google less useful in the last little while. It taunts me and tells me that I'm sorry Daniel, I've decided to exclude the most important keyword from your query. Domain-specific search tools - e.g. for programming, Dash.app - have become an increased part of my workflow partially because Google simply isn't giving me the results I am looking for.

Also, try switching to verbatim results (search tools - all results), it doesn't randomly omit parts of the query.

Re: Experienced Programmers Use Google Frequently

#168

Post by ljw1001 » Sun, May 01, 2016, 12:49 PM UTC

nostrademons wrote: post #21

Ironically, the one time that I did not use Google frequently (as a programmer) was when I was working on Google Search. It's hard to Google the answers for how the search engine works, particularly when they're locked up in the heads of only one or two people. Use it all the time otherwise, for personal projects and startups (really, all of my startup ideas would be complete non-starters if Google didn't exist). Jus…

When I'm trying to do something 'big', i start with the technical papers on the subject. Often, I get those by finding the syllabus of a graduate class (or classes) in the field.

Now that I understand the big picture/state of the art, I spend more time looking for specific techniques using Google and/or Stack Overflow.

Re: Experienced Programmers Use Google Frequently

#169

Post by javier2 » Sun, May 01, 2016, 3:46 PM UTC

Touche wrote: post #38

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.

Related is being good at debugging. There's something about having a certain intuition (in reality probably experience) on what it is that you are looking for that is critical.

I find that experience and a rigorous approach is vital for debugging efficiently. It's like being a detective, where often the most effective technique is _disproving_ your theories.

Re: Experienced Programmers Use Google Frequently

#170

Post by alchemyunited » Sun, May 01, 2016, 6:32 PM UTC

Keyframe wrote: post #107

DanielBMarkham wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or a question you had years ago. Couldn't find an answer. So you did a workaround and/or forgot about it. Now you hit the same problem search -- and find you original question. But wait! Now there are half-a-dozen other people with the same problem! So you click on all of those links. But none of them could find an answer either. Bonus points if there's a guy who comes in condescendingly and quotes a manual or some o…

I had a guy, on stackoverflow, commenting condescendingly on my question (or was it an answer, can't remember) that I was wrong and I should edit my post with his answer instead. All would be well if it wasn't on a 6 year old post at the time, and he was wrong. Ah, stackoverflow - what happened to you? It was fine and dandy when it was all loose. Now you ask a question and it's immediately flagged for various reasons…

I'll go to SO for answers, but the "culture" of the "community" nullifies by desire to participate. I want to in theory. The reality is it's not worth the friction.