Do Experienced Programmers Use Google Frequently? · Code Ahoy

Articles on Software and Human Factors.

Software developers, especially those who are new to the field, often ask this question or at least wonder whether they are good developers or just good at googling up solutions.

“Do experienced programmers use Google frequently?”

The resounding answer is YES, experienced (and good) programmers use Google… a lot. In fact, one might argue they use it more than the beginners. Using Google doesn’t make them bad programmers or imply that they cannot code without Google. In fact, truth is quite the opposite: Google is an essential part of their software development toolkit and they know when and how to use it.

A big reason to use Google is that it is hard to remember all those minor details and nuances especially when you are programming in multiple languages and using dozens of frameworks. As Einstein said:

“Never memorize something that you can look up.” – Albert Einstein

Aside from that, good programmers also know that they cannot be the first one to have encountered a problem. They use Google to research possible solutions, carefully evaluating the results and consciously separating the wheat from the chaff; they don’tblindly follow or copy-paste any solution they come across. Expert programmers are also paranoid, living in self-doubt and questioning their competence. Whenever their spidey senses start tingling, they know they may be going the wrong hole; they rely on Google on validate their logic.

Source: Do Experienced Programmers Use Google Frequently? · Code Ahoy

 

Raony Guimaraes