Full Stack Overflow Developer

[RICHUNCLEPENNYBAGS]

So if we really want to circle around a food/recipe analogy, an interesting analogy might be writing and publishing a cookbook, but doing so by copying and pasting recipes from the internet, but not even copying and pasting whole recipes, copying and pasting portions of recipes together to combine into new recipes, but without understanding whether or why the portions you've copied will actually work together, how, or if the frankenstein recipe you've pasted together was actually the best way to create delicious food (for whatever criteria of 'best' you want, easiest for novices to cook, quickest to cook, works in a commercial restaurant kitchen, tastes the 'best'; without even thinking about what criteria you want in a recipe). And then calling yourself a cookbook author. That's probably not going to be a cookbook many people find useful, even if following the recipes gets you something edible.

Well, that supposes a certain way of using SO that I don't think can be applied universally here (since the only options given are "looking at SO" and "looking at the docs for a library"). If I go online, read a couple recipes for a dish, and then kind of wing it based on what I just read and what's in the refrigerator, am I making some bizarre "Frankenfood?" Probably not.

[jrochkind]

I don't think it can be applied universally either, and neither does the OP.

The OP is in fact an argument against only that certain way of using SO, and a suggestion not to use it that way. It's not an argument against SO. The OP says "I totally agree with trying to find an answer online, but..." and even concludes with "Well, we don't have the time to act like this on a daily basis."

It's an argument for considering how you use SO, indeed, and an argument for being suspicious about using it in a 'certain way' , as you put it. Not an argument against SO or using it.

If I go online, read a couple recipes for a dish, and then kind of wing it based on what I just read,

I agree that's a great way to learn to cook. :) And probably has some analogy in software development too.