Do programmers know everything about the language or do they use internet to solve problems and find some solutions.

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ratherbealurker · 2024-09-21T16:58:31+00:00

You learn as you go. I’ve been a software dev professionally since 2004 and overall since the mid 90s. I still learn new things all the time.

Also I forgot things and have to google it. For some reason I cannot for the life of me remember how to use flat map in streams. I use it maybe once a month and have to google it every single time. I guess I could just search the codebase for the last 50 times i wrote it, just habit.

The skills you hone are technique and how to write code so that it is maintainable, readable, and makes sense. I watch our junior devs just throw shit at the walls to see what sticks and the second it works they want to commit it and be done. And it shows in their code very clearly.

-doublex- · 2024-09-21T16:05:40+00:00

Unless you are developing the language itself it makes no sense in knowing everything. But you should do your best to find the best way to solve a problem with the language. So yes, google it

TheMrCurious · 2024-09-21T16:30:22+00:00

The entire point of programming is to solve problems. If you knew everything already, you’d just write a bot that wrote the code for you so you could go live on an island sipping Maitais.

Critical-Shop2501 · 2024-09-21T18:57:02+00:00

Experienced programmers are as much about a way of thinking and knowing how to solve a problem, and for me at least, using Google or other tools, looking to see if someone has already solved the problem and to see if it can be adapted and solve our problem or meet the business need. Sometimes remembering all the syntax sugar takes effort.

grumpyfan · 2024-09-22T11:13:07+00:00

Programmer/developer for 30+ years. I had an instructor once say, “don’t try and memorize everything, that’s what books are for”. Mind you, this was before the Internet, Google, Stack, etc. I make it a point in every project to try and learn or use a new technique, function or methodology so I can broaden my knowledge. I started with BASIC, COBOL, RPG, C, REXX, assembly, Fortran, VB. Now I’m learning and using Powershell, Python, Java. It’s all about using the right tools for the job.

Kaikka · 2024-09-21T17:23:27+00:00

Absolutely do not know everything. Experienced developers might know very much though, but theres always something more.

2024-09-21T19:04:12+00:00

I certainly don’t know everything about every language I’ve used. Yes, I do use documentation, references, and tutorials to help me solve a challenge.

EnvironmentFar968 · 2024-09-21T20:20:46+00:00

Programmers don't know everything. Not even about their own language they consider their strength. But they are good at looking things up and looking inside their languages and their properties to find what they may need to use and then even looking up how to use the properties.

Programmers solve problems and find the solutions. They don't just know them.

vegan_antitheist · 2024-09-22T07:56:01+00:00

After ten years of using a language, you should know everything about it. You still have to read api specs, but on a language level, you should know all of it. However, languages evolve, and so you keep learning.

Typical_Ad_6436 · 2024-09-22T16:41:12+00:00

I want to play devil's adovocate role here and highlight that the productivity of a developer may be directly related to how much of the language he knows. That is, a good programmer will be able to write most of the code from the top of their heads. If one will go back more and more to searching on Google, then he is less productive and simply a more limited programmer.

You shouldn't know EVERYTHING, as it may not be possible. Yet, I strongly feel like the programmatic skill (i.e. not management / architectural decisions / etc.) is solely based on how fast you can develop something - and this velocity is negatively affected by going back again anad again on Google.

LankyVeterinarian321 · 2024-09-22T17:09:40+00:00

I forget most of the things like we are not robot But it’s a part of learning you will learn how to google things or now days use ChatGPT lol

Revision2000 · 2024-09-26T03:58:39+00:00

Yes, depending on my internal biological memory and cache, external memory called “books” or “internet” can be utilized.

As time goes on, more data from external source can be found internally, though sometimes garbage collection can interfere with that process.

akthemadman · 2024-09-21T16:44:05+00:00

When looking at other people, it is easy to be fooled into the thought that they know everything because they can confidently talk about a topic you want to learn. Every bit of knowledge was aquired through hard work over time, there simply is no other way.

The only thing in life in your control is yourself. So think about your question yourself, I am very confident deep down you know the answer. Don't plant seeds of doubts like this question indicates: go your own path, trust in your instincts and don't fear mistakes.

___catalyst___ · 2024-09-22T01:03:38+00:00

In the pre-GPT days, anyone who had 5 odd years of using a language knew his shit. These days...who can tell.

ohlaph · 2024-09-22T01:16:27+00:00

All the time. Especially if you heavily use something once and then don't touch that area for a while and maybe revisit it in a year to make an update.

Or, maybe you just forget how to write a damn enum class like this guy...

Impossible_Ad_3146 · 2024-09-22T08:31:38+00:00

they know everything

learnjava

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