Google-oriented programming

Google replaced novice programmers with books and reference books: in fact, almost any question someone has already decided is up to you, all that remains is to find a solution. Another thing is interesting: do experienced programmers use only their experience or prefer to google on a par with beginners?

Google is not shameful

Chris writes in the article “ How Much Does an Experienced Programmer Use Google ”:
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I often hear novice programmers, nervously looking around, asking: “Is it normal if I use Google often?”.

The answer to this question is definitely yes.

Google is an integral part of every developer’s work. People whose work consists of mental effort are called knowledge workers, and it has been established that they spend 40% of their time searching for information. In other words, almost half of your work as a developer is the ability to use Google .

IDC in its study "The High Cost of Not Finding Information" ( PDF ) follows a similar assessment:

We use a general assessment: a typical knowledge worker spends about 2.5 hours a day, or about 30% of a workday, searching for information .

Who owns the information, owns the world. In the case of developers, owns the solution.

From the article “ Do Experienced Programmers Use Google Frequently? »Umer Mansoor:

“Do experienced programmers often use Google?”

The loud answer is YES, experienced and good programmers use Google ... often. In fact, even more often beginners.
The big reason to use Google is that it’s difficult to remember all the small details and nuances, especially if you are programming in multiple languages ​​and using a bunch of frameworks .

Impostor Syndrome

People prone to the impostor syndrome are confident that they are deceivers and do not deserve the success they have achieved. The impostor syndrome is orthogonal to the Dunning-Kruger effect: qualified specialists tend to underestimate their abilities, while low-skilled ones have an inflated notion.


Illustration from the article " The Imposter Syndrome in Software Development "

For programmers, this is often expressed in reflection: “Am I a programmer, or is Google just good?”.

Scott Hanselman in the article “ Am I really a developer or just a good googler? Writes about it:

Recently, I received a very serious and well-worded letter from a young man abroad. Here is what he writes:
“Sometimes the question in my head is whether I’m really a developer or just google well. I do not know the right answer - I'm a googler or a developer. Scott, please help me find out. ”

In another article, “ I'm a phony. Are you? “He writes that most programmers are prone to impostor syndrome — including himself. And that's what he thinks about this:

But that's the thing. We all sometimes feel like cheaters. We are all deceivers. This is part of the growth. We find ourselves in situations that are a bit more complicated than what we can handle. But we deal with them, we are not deceivers, and we move on to the next challenge .

The difference between beginner and experienced

We found out: google everything. The difference is how.

“ How Much Does an Experienced Programmer Use Google ”:

In addition, good programmers know that they are not the first to encounter a problem. They use Google to search for possible solutions, carefully check the results and separate the wheat from the chaff; they do not blindly follow or copy-paste any solution found.

We call on respected commentators: how does Google help you in your work? Do you think that google is shameful, and it is better to go read a couple of books? Tell me about it.