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Am I really a developer or just a good Googler?

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Re: Am I really a developer or just a good Googler?

#31

Post by evli »

incision wrote: post #14

>"...try programming for a day without Googling. Then two days, maybe a week. See how it feels. Remember that there was a time we programmed without copying our work." Once I decided I really wanted to learn to write code I just plain stopped with the copying and even referencing anything beyond docs or a thorough book. I work to create a functional implementation of whatever it is I'm looking for, no matter how naiv…

I think that is some value in doing that, for learning. But as a professional, with deadlines and money involved. Wouldn't google be best?

Re: Am I really a developer or just a good Googler?

#32

Post by njharman »

"Good programmers invent, great programmers steal, crap programmers copy (and paste)"

Good programmers come up with solutions. Poorly half-reinventing what has been done before.

Great programmers learn from others (googling is expeditious method these days). They take from others and make that knowledge their own.

Code monkeys have little understanding of what they copy, can barely get syntax right, and are satisfied that it seems to produce desired result with the one input they tried.

Re: Am I really a developer or just a good Googler?

#34

Post by nostrademons »

atacrawl wrote: post #15

I use Stack Overflow (and to a lesser extent, Google) to help me with problems large and small all the time. Why break your neck to find a solution without finding out if someone else already did? There's never a point when you can't learn from others.

There's nothing wrong with learning from others, but you want to make sure you're actually learning. That means going through the StackOverflow answer and making sure you understand all the API calls involved, what they do, how you just combined them, and where to go to find documentation on them.

If you do that you'll get really good at your technologies really fast. If you just copy & paste the answer you'll have solved exactly one problem, and then you'll have to Google again for your next problem.

Re: Am I really a developer or just a good Googler?

#35

Post by mordocai »

evli wrote: post #31
incision wrote: post #14

>"...try programming for a day without Googling. Then two days, maybe a week. See how it feels. Remember that there was a time we programmed without copying our work." Once I decided I really wanted to learn to write code I just plain stopped with the copying and even referencing anything beyond docs or a thorough book. I work to create a functional implementation of whatever it is I'm looking for, no matter how naiv…

I think that is some value in doing that, for learning. But as a professional, with deadlines and money involved. Wouldn't google be best?

That was my first thought as well. I think that it is a great idea to experiment when working on personal projects/something with little to no deadlines. However, when the project is due yesterday and you come across something you don't know how to do... I have to say google is best.

Re: Am I really a developer or just a good Googler?

#37

Post by the_cat_kittles »

evli wrote: post #31
incision wrote: post #14

>"...try programming for a day without Googling. Then two days, maybe a week. See how it feels. Remember that there was a time we programmed without copying our work." Once I decided I really wanted to learn to write code I just plain stopped with the copying and even referencing anything beyond docs or a thorough book. I work to create a functional implementation of whatever it is I'm looking for, no matter how naiv…

I think that is some value in doing that, for learning. But as a professional, with deadlines and money involved. Wouldn't google be best?

right- there is a time to learn and a time to earn. though, accreting a bunch of solutions that you may not appreciate can sometimes screw you in the later term

Re: Am I really a developer or just a good Googler?

#38

Post by vinw »

baddox wrote: post #27
epenn wrote: post #10

It isn't a crime if you occasionally need to google something. It is a crime if you copy and paste a solution you find without understanding how it works. This leads to cargo cult programming. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cargo_cult_programming

Is copy/pasting a solution without understanding how it works worse than using a library, framework, or programming environment without knowing how it works?

I think it's OK to not know the implementation details of code you aren't responsible for maintaining.

Re: Am I really a developer or just a good Googler?

#39

Post by personZ »

Since Hacker News has been going through some introspection recently, I just wanted to pontificate on the comments thus far: Almost universally garbage. Just terrible.

There is some sort of bizarre urge for people to rush to explain "Why This Guy Is A Dumb Asshole" for virtually every submission to HN. Where someone talking about a letter they were sent, and opportunities for learning experiences, turns into some profound statement that everyone needs to dispel defensively.

Re: Am I really a developer or just a good Googler?

#40

Post by [deleted] »

baddox wrote: post #27
epenn wrote: post #10

It isn't a crime if you occasionally need to google something. It is a crime if you copy and paste a solution you find without understanding how it works. This leads to cargo cult programming. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cargo_cult_programming

Is copy/pasting a solution without understanding how it works worse than using a library, framework, or programming environment without knowing how it works?

[deleted]
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