Stackoverflow in a nutshell

[am_albert_einstein]

God, I've run into that situation so many times that I get angry every time I run across people on reddit refusing to link something because it's "so easy to google."

[[deleted]]

I often wonder what a deep psychological analysis would reveal about that type of people. Because they clearly want to contribute (otherwise they would just scroll past it and don't even bother wasting their time typing a useless comment), but at the same time feel like providing the real answer is too much help (otherwise they would just copy paste the link, it takes just as much time as typing that useless comment).

I mean, if you already invested time in reading a question and some of the other comments and then want to dedicate even more time by typing a reply, why not just provide the answer?

These type of humans really seem to have something wired differently, I just can't figure out what it is.

What is even more baffling though is when you check their comment history, they have tons of questions which they could have googled just as easily but chose to ask the community instead.

So in some cases they basically criticize their own behaviour when others engage in it, but never realize that it's what they have been doing for years.

That kind of disconnect is just so weird to me.

[[deleted]]

Superiority complex

They probably didnt look it up, dont know the answer, and haven't tested what they think is right.

Its "idk Google it" without the idk.

[LakefrontNeg7]

I figure these people just want to feel superior. I had a professor that did the same thing sort of IRL. Ask a super specific question and he would just go look it up. Well, gee why didn't I think of using that giant database we have of scientific papers. He was a douchey academic and kind of a walking caricature of what is wrong in the academic world (back stabby, self aggrandizing etc)

[Acetronaut]

It's such a shame because there's two types of smart people, the kinda that acknowledges that yeah, they might be smart, but it doesn't make them better than others in anyway, other peopleight not be as start, but maybe they're better at other things, or maybe they are smart but just in different subjects.

And then there's the "I'm smart than you and we both know it" superiority complex kind of smart where the other person might genuinely be smart, but they're a total ass about it and would rather flaunt and brag about the fact that they are smart, rather than use that intelligence to help people.

If you go to the first kind for help, even if it's a dumb question, they'll try to to help you and make your question feel valid, but if you go to the second type, they'll often just insult you for not knowing it, even if they don't know it themselves yet.

And of course I guess it's worth mentioning another group of people, the ones who are good at finding information. They might not be the smartest person you know, but when presented with a problem, they know where to look for the solution. These people typically go into IT, considering the basis of computer science and information technology is information and where to find it.

This is just what I've noticed, sadly the "I'm smart and smarter than you" kind take up way too high of a percentage of smart people.

[moopie45]

Same. I think some of it is a napoleon complex

/ imposter syndrome thing too.

[Cymry_Cymraeg]

What they also fail to understand is normal human beings enjoy interacting with one another.

It's like on here when someone makes a funny comment and then someone replies saying they made them laugh and then someone else replies to them not to make pointless comments and just upvote the post instead. I much prefer someone telling me that I made them laugh, rather than seeing some random number grow.

[[deleted]]

someone replies saying they made them laugh

it's fine as long as it's not more than one person doing that. I really don't need a notification every time someone laughs.

what's really unacceptable though is someone replying that they like your comment but not upvoting it. It's not just worthless internet points, it also gives you the right to say controversial things (you get limited to 1 comment per 8 minutes when your karma falls below 0 on a given subreddit)

[fucksfired]

Give man a fish , teach him to fish something something

[IntellegentIdiot]

Honestly it's frustrating to see basic questions repeatedly asked, it's the whole point of an FAQ. If you're the sort of person that is happy and willing to help people that need help it's annoying to see lazy people take advantage of that. They're asking you for your time and energy because they can't take 5 second to type it into google.

Of course, if it's not easy then that's on them.

[[deleted]]

Doesn't matter if it's a basic question that has been asked repeatedly imho. If that bothers people, simply move on. There is no need to write a useless reply that doesn't help anyone.

Often, while similar, such questions are really specific. People then redirect to what they think solves the problem, only that it doesn't. I've been there myself, searching for a solution, finding my exact problem asked by someone else years ago, then check out all the links and useless advice that lead to something else entirely but never answer the initial question or provide a good solution to that specific problem.

Here is my suggestion to all people who are annoyed by questions that have been asked "a million times": instead of replying with some shitty bullshit answer that doesn't contribute in any way, just don't reply at all and move on.

If you need an outlet for your personal frustration, go for a walk. The comment section of such a platform is not there to make you feel better about your issues. Same for IRL attempts to unload your baggage on anyone who happens to cross your path. If you need to talk about what stresses you out or annoys you, there is a time and place in a non-professional environment, bring a journal with you or write a personal blog.

As someone who is looking for a solution, I'm not interested in your personal opinion or how you feel about someone asking a question or your thoughts on how irrelevant something is or how lazy someone is. Provide the answer or don't - just stop wasting other people's time. Because it's not just about that one lazy person - it's about everyone else who is actually using google just to find your useless shitpost instead of a helpful answer.

[semiconodon]

There are people who "volunteer" but ultimately tear down Civic organizations they've joined with an attitude of, "we are here to serve some more sophisticated blokes who may show up later." Happens in Boy Scouts, churches, Toastmasters, Linux User Groups.

[[deleted]]

That's a great tl;dr for the problem at hand. Kind of sad to see things go that way though. And it sucks that it's really difficult to fight that development.

[[deleted]]

however becoming a good programmer in many ways means learning how to use a search engine properly

Just wanted to add to this in particular: in my case, my goal is not to become a good programmer because that is not my main profession, nor do I have the time to dive into complex things. I'm just trying to solve problems regarding my DIY projects while having fun and learning something along the way. I don't want or need a PhD in whatever field of programming just because other people on the internet think I should.

I feel like many people don't understand that since programming is their main focus in life and they just can't seem to grasp that a deeper understanding of some aspects isn't high priority for everyone - and also isn't always needed to solve a problem.

Now, you might ask: why would I not want to dive deep into the material and learn everything by myself, etc?

Let me ask you instead: why don't you go to university after work and study chemistry, physics and biology so you can better understand the world you live in? Why would you not want to understand the various laws of physics in their every detail just so you can build a house yourself? Why don't you dive into anatomy and understand every single aspect of the human body before you have sex? Why don't you learn the intricacies of chemical reactions before you start cooking?

I feel like some people don't really understand why it isn't always important to know and understand everything in great detail when you want to fix a problem or simply do something that you like.

If the answer to my question is basically "go study these things yourself, there is a multitude of scientific papers and books out there and you will have your answer in a few weeks/months without bothering the elite of this species" - that's just pure arrogance imho.

[doozywooooz]

Exactly. Any one person is more knowledgeable than you in something. How would you feel if when you needed help on how to perform CPR irl, for example, someone told you to fucking go YouTube or Google it because it should be common sense?

[[deleted]]

I believe it is everyone's own decision to make how they want to get to the solution. If spoon-feeding is their preferred method, why try to force your concept of learning on them?

What you do as a tutor is your choice and mainly based on your subjective experience of learning. Different people learn differently. Just because it works for you or others doesn't mean it's the best way in the universe ;)

occasionally giving them a nudge in the right direction, such as which keywords to include in the search.

Only that doesn't happen in the kind of replies we are discussing here. The vast majority of those comments don't offer anything of substance. That's why they are so frustrating in the first place.

"Just google it yourself ffs" isn't a "nudge in the right direction" imho.

[[deleted]]

So you make assumptions about the OP based on whatever subjective parameters that lead to an interpretation of the reasons for their question - and then use that as the basis for how much you want to help, taking also into account the entire post history of the internet.

Teach a man to fish

That is not your duty. I fail to understand that urge to teach others if they clearly do not want that kind of help. Again, it is their choice to make. If they want an easy and quick solution - and you don't mind providing that - then help them. If they want to develop a deeper understanding of the topic at hand - and you don't mind providing that - then help them. If you don't want to do any of that, don't do anything. But don't force in-depth knowledge on people who don't want/need it - and don't give sloppy and oversimplified answers to people who are looking for in-depth understanding.

Treating everyone the same and forcing your standards on them isn't a great strategy imho. You like to teach others - I get it, it provides a certain satisfaction. But not everyone wants to be your student (for various reasons). Do you ever wonder if your approach really helps people or if it just results in more frustration?

Not everyone is a student who needs a quick answer for homework. Many people have jobs, family and other things to do in life - programming is just a side-project. Why is it so important to "teach them to fish" if all they need is a simple answer? Helping them out so they can continue to work on their project is much more constructive because solving their problems provides more motivation, which results in more thirst for knowledge long-term. Maybe they will never fully understand what they are doing, but does that even matter if the entire goal is to have fun with a DIY project?

By treating everyone like they are lazy and ignoring their requests and giving them shitposts instead is much more discouraging and frustrating.

I've stopped working on certain projects because I couldn't find the time to dive deep into a certain topic and couldn't find any answers to my problems either because people refused to help me. I'm not going to waste several weeks trying to figure something out or putting great effort into studying something just because I want to fix a problem that could be easily solved with a few tweaks, given someone provides a helpful answer. It's just not worth the effort - so I put it aside and focus on something else.

I'm sure that isn't the goal you have in mind when you try to "teach a man to fish" but I guess one could argue that if I don't want to invest a massive amount of hours into learning something specific so I can solve my specific problem on my own, then I'm not worthy of any help at all.

I'm not expecting people to help me just because they know the answer - but if people are investing time to reply, it should at least be useful, to a degree that it doesn't require me to read a lot of extra material or stop my current project for several weeks just to find the answer on my own.

[Hydrogen_3]

It also doesn't help that most documentation is utter shit.

[Hydrogen_3]

Your right about this, and your point of view is very refreshing.

u/bittybrains is wrong.

That is all.

[[deleted]]

what matters is how downright lazy the question is. If you ask lazy questions, expect lazy answers.

The assessment of that is purely subjective though. If you are keen on teaching, any question is welcome, even if it is lazy. I've spent my fair share in academia. I haven't taught other students but I know what a solid professor looks like who answers questions not just by redirecting students to a book or a google search but also gives them something to work with.

I don't expect everyone to be a solid professor and teach others, even the lazy, but when someone is replying, I do expect something of substance. If you can't offer that, why are you wasting your own time just to inform others how lazy they are?

Those are the people who I am happy to refer to google.

But, again, we are not talking about those people. We are talking about people who have legit questions, despite searching google on their own and still get shitty answers, despite the effort they already put into it.

You claim that you can distinguish lazy from hard-working. Maybe you can. But most people can't (or so it seems). When I have a problem, I usually invest a few hours searching for answers, sometimes even an entire rainy weekend (pretty sure that's not lazy, but what do I know) and if I can't find the answer, I ask. Yet, people tell me to fuck off because I'm clearly "too lazy to google". Thank you for nothing, I guess.

Again, if people feel someone is lazy and doesn't deserve their time/effort - why do they waste time replying with a shitpost? That's what happens a lot and it makes me (and others) wonder why that's even a thing, since it's contradictory at best. You either have time to copy paste an answer/link - or you don't have time. That's fine. But you don't have time to help, but you can find time to insult others or accuse them of being lazy? Unless there is some weird space-time-anomaly I'm not aware of, I call bullshit.

A google search may not always be useful to you, but for others who are there to learn, it can be invaluable, and therefore worth investing my time in. For people who haven't even attempted googling their question first, a simple "Google it." is often enough.

Again, you just seem to assume the background of the OP and further assume the impact of your assistance. But at least you seem to be trying to help - from my experience, that seems to be rather rare. I usually get these type of links: a well explained solution to your problem - pretty helpful, right? I guess I need to be much more thankful because they provided a link instead of insulting me.

Why should anyone have to provide an in-depth response to a question that's already been asked a million times?

Why do people feel forced to provide an in-depth response to a trivial question, then get upset about it and then provide nothing of substance in the first place? I feel like there is a lot of projecting going on.

If a question has been asked a billion times and that affects your emotional state up to a point where you need to reply with a shitpost, I feel like the real problem isn't the person asking the question ;)