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> Google can and should modify their algorithms until the site that users actually want is first. Who, exactly? A professional Python programmer probably has t

> Google can and should modify their algorithms until the site that users actually want is first. Who, exactly? A professional Python programmer probably has their IDE/editor set up so it can shows a brief document for `str.endswith` already. Someone who is new to Python (probably not even a programmer yet) might actually prefer the hand-holding from those content farm pages. [1]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37483100 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37483100

dragonwriter 3y ago
> A professional Python programmer probably has their IDE/editor set up so it can shows a brief document for `str.endswith` already. Someone who is new to Python (probably not even a programmer yet) might actually prefer the hand-holding from those content farm pages. Someone who has been exposed to the most basic Python features and knows they want info on str.endswith can just type help(str.endswith) in the Python interactive environment.
- hedora 3y ago
  So, maybe google should tell them that and turn away their business?
  - dragonwriter 3y ago
    I’m saying that fact shapes the set of people resorting to Google in the first place and what they are looking for.
- danaris 3y ago
  Which is all very well (and for something simple like str.endswith might well be enough), but for many things, even a professional Python programmer might either a) not remember the exact name of the method or other thing they're looking up, or b) want a more detailed explanation or examples showing usage. None of that is going to be given either in an IDE or from help().
soraminazuki 3y ago
There is much more to documentation than just API documentation. A documentation window in a text editor isn't shareable either. Also, who'd actually want hand-holding from low quality content?
gknoy 3y ago
As a professional Python programmer, I regularly search for the official documentation on things like the details of MagicMock or other things, for both Django and Python. I'm generally looking up things that are more than "what does str.endswith do", and more like "what's the name of the field of the mock that shows what it was called with", or other things that I know exist but don't use day-to-day.
whatyousure 3y ago
[flagged]

dragonwriter 3y ago

> A professional Python programmer probably has their IDE/editor set up so it can shows a brief document for `str.endswith` already. Someone who is new to Python (probably not even a programmer yet) might actually prefer the hand-holding from those content farm pages. Someone who has been exposed to the most basic Python features and knows they want info on str.endswith can just type help(str.endswith) in the Python interactive environment.

hedora 3y ago
So, maybe google should tell them that and turn away their business?
- dragonwriter 3y ago
  I’m saying that fact shapes the set of people resorting to Google in the first place and what they are looking for.
danaris 3y ago
Which is all very well (and for something simple like str.endswith might well be enough), but for many things, even a professional Python programmer might either a) not remember the exact name of the method or other thing they're looking up, or b) want a more detailed explanation or examples showing usage. None of that is going to be given either in an IDE or from help().

soraminazuki 3y ago

There is much more to documentation than just API documentation. A documentation window in a text editor isn't shareable either. Also, who'd actually want hand-holding from low quality content?

gknoy 3y ago

As a professional Python programmer, I regularly search for the official documentation on things like the details of MagicMock or other things, for both Django and Python. I'm generally looking up things that are more than "what does str.endswith do", and more like "what's the name of the field of the mock that shows what it was called with", or other things that I know exist but don't use day-to-day.

whatyousure 3y ago

[flagged]