Umer 
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
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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’t blindly 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.
Going by the definition, I would be considered an experienced programmer. Recently, I had to write web server using Netty in Java to handle persistent sockets from mobile games. I had never used Netty before. Here are my Google searches I did:
1. netty tutorial
2. netty maven dependency
3. netty bytebuf to string
4. netty bytebuf release
5. netty 4 changes
6. setOption(“child.bufferFactory”) netty 4
7. ByteBuf netty
8. opensource projects using netty framework
9. netty 4 examples
10. netty 4 adding json encoder
11. netty channel pipeline
12. netty 4 messagetomessage encoder
13. netty serverbootstrap childhandler
14. ByteBuf netty
15. lengthfieldbasedframedecoder netty 4
16. netty 4 client examples
17. netty 4 bytebuf to bytebuffer
18. netty 4 endianness
19. netty channelhandlercontext
20. netty channelhandlercontext thread safe
21. netty user authentication
22. netty heartbeat handling
23. load test netty with 10k concurrent sockets
I wrote 255 lines of code that included a working server and a client. I queried google 23 times mostly landing on StackOverflow, Netty 4 website, GitHub, and JavaDocs. If you do the math, that averages out to 1 query every 10 lines of code! I had no idea. Let me know in the comments what your average is.
So sit back, relax and remember that Google is software developer’s best friend.
How often do you use Google when programming? Do you have any Google power tips that you want to share with others? Just leave a comment below.
Comments (51)
VR News Cloud
Like you said it’s a skill to know <what> to search for as much as anything. The only things I find difficult to search for are algorithm issues, and even then enough close keywords and I sometimes find someone on Stack Overflow with the same question!
wcurtis
12 Google searches for 20 lines of javascript code.
Beobachter
I use DuckDuckGo instead. It automatically displays the correct answer from Stack Overflow. Google is for Javascript coders and other newbies.
Kenneth Fisher
I’m a SQL Server guy and I’ll agree with this 100x. I’m working on tuning a query for someone and while I’ve actually written maybe 10 lines of code (modifying someone else’s) I’ve created 1 forum question, referenced my own blogs 10+ times and run google queries 50-60 times. To be fair this is a difficult one so it’s requiring more resources than some stuff I’ve worked on but I will say I hit up google/Stack Exchange multiple times on most days.
mfarrall
The other thing I keep thinking about related to this is how much code completion in the big IDEs kept me dumb. Since I’ve moved to simpler tools I not only search for the actual code, I also search for the underlying patterns and paradigms related to the actual code.
So now I might use pub/sub or actor models, or whatever, but with code completion I just used tab and arrow keys.
Yohann Paris
I completely agree with this, and it is my immediate answer to new developer when they tell me they are not real developers because they spend too much time on Google and Stack Overflow.
I only remember what, how, and where can I do things, Google reminds me the syntax of whichever language I’m using.
bernie
OMG. Finally someone GETS IT.
BernieCanStillWin
Great engineers know how to formulate good queries. Yet interviewers expect walking dictionaries.
Leon Boshuizen
I find google more spot on for developers then DDG. Mentioning newbies is also a point I consider wrong. If I do R&D on whatever topic then I am a newbie. No matter the experience in other fields.
Francisco Presencia
In case you are not aware, this is on Hacker News front page: https://news.ycombinator.co…
And the first thread is hilarious:
koolba: “I not only use Google frequently, I use it to search for things I myself have written in the past.
I can’t count the number of times I’ve Googled for a programming question where the answer is found on a Stack Overflow page I’ve written. If it’s a particularly old answer that I’ve completely forgotten, I’ve even thought to myself, “Wow this genius sounds just like me!”[1].
[1]: … as well as “This idiot has no clue what he’s talking about!”
[…]
Francisco Presencia
Also, this looks awesome and trying to replace google for many of those searches: https://kite.com/
Soner Gönül
So do I. Specially I like their “Instant Answers” helps for programmers. https://duck.co/blog/post/2…
Random Stranger
“Google is for Javascript coders and other newbies” - this is the problem of lots of coders.. arogrance. you find your workflow superior, that’s fine, but don’t trash other ways. you might find something that’s inefficient today that will turn your old workflow obsolete, that doesn’t mean you are “javascript developer” or “newbie”. don’t be a dick.
Beobachter
Oh, you’re right. I shouldn’t call people “Javascript developers”. That’s too hard. ;-)
digyaldemsuga
Especially helpful when the accepted answer is not an actual answer, rather a deflection “you don’t wanna do that, ever. do this thing that doesn’t help you out at all instead”
Vinit
Agree. Good programming is about making good software design and architecture, not about knowing the exact set of parameters for some obscure library function in JAVA
Genos
No need to feed the troll. DuckDuckGo has its uses, like surfacing specific answers quickly.
But professional development (including JS) requires deep understanding of systems, theory, and context. For this, I find Google to be superior in ranking, and indexing as a whole. It lacks a few power user functions but makes up for it with breadth of information that is accurate, timely, consistent, and reliable.
BTW JS has evolved into a beast of its own nature. Don’t let its loose grammar and cavalier syntax prevent you from digging deeper into a potential of a language :)
You might find more junior coders because of JS prevalence and low entry barrier, but everyone has to start somewhere right?
Pierre Clouthier
The Internet has accelerated and propelled human knowledge to a degree unprecedented in history. I can look up solutions to programming problems in minutes, that would have required trips to the library or the purchase of books just a couple of decades ago. Books and libraries are great, but not available at 2:00 AM.
Dmitri Nosovicki
You guess a master by his walk, a pupil by his blow and a newbie by his arrogance. – a chinese saying
Muntoo Meddler
Same here. And if past me turns out to be a moron, I fix things up.
(Usually, however, I feel like I’m getting dumber over the years…)
Jaime Lopez
Very true. Even most of the times the answer I’m looking for is on the first result. Maybe I should do more “I’m feeling lucky” searches.
Kai Middleton
Typo: “they rely on Google on validate their logic.”
TJ Biddle
I’d love to see the term “newbie” found in some ancient Chinese scrolls
Murukesh
i think it’s bow
Daniel Main
How old are you?
disqus_CwbOU8f6Ef
It’s Java, not JAVA. It’s never been JAVA.
thedoginthewok
Thank god I’m not the only one who feels that way. When I look up some of the old stuff I did and I don’t immedietelly figure out what the heck I was thinking back then I often feel like I’ve become an idiot.
Dmitri Nosovicki
Well, the rest of the words you’ll not be able to find either. But it’s unlikely that self-assertion at the expence of others is a recent invention
Alberto Restifo
18. WHAT HAVE I DONE
Tøde
So i got the paranoid part covered.. now the rest
Anjum Rizwi
I search the google to get the validated code from community members. So that before using the code we know the pros and cons.
James Treworgy
Most of the work of mentoring junior programmers involves teaching them how to use Google effectively. http://lmgtfy.com/ and eventually they get the hang of it :)
JWolf_PDX
Similarly, I’ll look at code I’ve written thinking “This is pretty good” and ask myself, “Did I actually write this?!”
Daniel R. Przybylski
I don’t always use Google, but when I do, I use Bing #searchengine
cr0sh
Knowing what to search and how to search it out is a definite thing; I know one time I was implementing something which as far as I could tell, hadn’t been implemented in the way I was going about it before. However, parts of it were implemented - though not necessarily in the language I was using.
Knowing what to search for, in order to find the discussions on those parts, and the algorithms being discussed - was essential to me being able to assemble all of that information into a whole piece. For many, they will simply stop when they can’t find the implementation, or when they find some of the parts, but not everything.
In this particular case of mine, I had to rack my brain - as well as google “side areas” - in order to find the terms I needed to search on - just to find the parts and discussions. In other words, I had to google stuff, in order to google other stuff - meta googling, I guess.
In the end, it all finally came together and the project was completely successfully - but had I not gone the extra step of googling stuff I didn’t know in order to google stuff I didn’t know, I either wouldn’t have succeeded in my implementation, or I would have had to re-formulate my approach and re-factor what I had previously done. Fortunately, it was a personal project, so time wasn’t of the essence ultimately.
Siderite
I feel great both when I see that the first answer in Google is worse than I can cook up and when it is better. In the first case I have the opportunity to improve the world, in the second to improve myself.
Daniel R. Przybylski
Because we’re all just trying to make the world a better place.
Jukbo
Nowadays, I can’t live without Stack Overflow
Daniel R. Przybylski
I like to say that I majored in googling Stack Overflow… with a minor in Intellisense.
Jukbo
Hehehehhe…. Good one!
BW
I hate seeing that kind of answer.
Ben C
You realise it’s the troll you are talking to, right? Otherwise, totally agree :-)
Greg
1. Do you have an urge to bookmark every awesome answer, especially if it took a few minutes to find?
2. Do you now have thousands of bookmarks?
3. Do you ever look through those first, before Googling?
Vinit
OK :D
Christopher Angulo Avila
Great! Good job by the way! :)
akhil katpally
I can’t agree with you more.
akhil katpally
Man, i do the same, i bookmarked many but somehow my natural instinct goes with google.
Chenyu Zhao
so true
Adam Bishop
I feel better now, ufff… As a beginner I thought I have to memorise everything, and I was pissed-off because I forgot some detail I used month ago.
Johan CHOUQUET
A good developer really is like a detective: requires so much analysis skills, experience and patience…! Google is one very useful tool to find what we need.
Alex Bauer
This is so true. There have been times when I’ve googled just to understand what I’ve written a month ago! Let’s not use our brains as hard disks, let’s use it as CPU!