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Google and StackOverflow are kinda the same step. I don't think I've ever gone to search specifically on StackOverflow, but google finds the answer there quite
by towelrod 16y ago
Google and StackOverflow are kinda the same step. I don't think I've ever gone to search specifically on StackOverflow, but google finds the answer there quite often.
I think this is a natural extension of the work programmers do these days. We don't spend a lot of time trying to figure out a better compression algorithm, but we sure spend a lot of time trying to figure out why some third party tool is throwing an error after upgrading some other third party tool.
- dikbrouwer 16y agoI'm not so sure about "Google and StackOverflow are kinda the same step". In my experience, Google sometimes points to StackOverflow, sometimes to a copycat (really annoying), and sometimes there is no good result. I've had better results on average by searching StackOverflow first, and then Google after if there is nothing on StackOverflow.
- jsdalton 16y agoI think he means "post a new question on StackOverflow" not "search for an existing answer on StackOverflow" -- since, agreed, that'd be pretty much the same thing as step 1. (I, too, do a lot of "site:stackoverflow.com" searches on Google these days btw.)
- ShabbyDoo 16y agoYes. I have different workflows for stuff like, "Is this a known bug?" vs. "how should I model my domain?" For the former, why dive in and learn something that someone else has already figured out, especially when the "something" is so mundane as an API incompatability? I would much rather spend my time figuring out interesting stuff.
- georgieporgie 16y agoI thought the exact same thing, since it never occurred to me that anyone would actually ask a question on SO and wait for an answer from it. When doing niche development, small mailing lists provide an invaluable asset for these sorts of questions. Oddly, seems strange to ask on such a generalist site as SO.