The Full Stack Overflow Developer

In a couple of talks and interviews I lamented a few phenomenon in our market that is all the time been round, however appears to be rampant by now: the one among the complete Stack Overflow developer. Prompted by Stephen Hay on Twitter, I shall now speak a bit about what this implies.

Full Stack Overflow builders work virtually completely by copying and pasting code from Stack Overflow as an alternative of understanding what they’re doing. As an alternative of researching a subject, they go there first to ask a query hoping individuals will simply give them the outcome.

In lots of instances, this works out. It’s superb what you’ll be able to obtain by pasting issues you do not perceive, that individuals who know what they’re doing put on the market.

I’m not having a go at Stack Overflow right here. It’s an unimaginable useful resource and it’s onerous to create a group like this and never drown in spam and mediocrity (belief me, I’m an admin on a number of technical Fb teams).

We had that drawback for a very long time. I problem anybody studying PHP to not merely copy the code examples within the notes. For years, code reference websites have given us solutions we needed, however did not want. Heck, even Matt’s Script Archive might be the supply for a lot of a spam mailer as individuals used formmail.pl with out understanding what it does.

I’m, nevertheless, nervous about how rampant this behaviour is in the present day. In fact, it’s comprehensible:

• Creating one thing is extra enjoyable than studying up on methods to create one thing.
• Utilizing one thing that works instantly, even when you do not know the way it does it, feels higher than encountering the frustration of not with the ability to repair one thing.
• You are feeling such as you cheated the system – shortcuts are enjoyable, and makes you are feeling such as you’re cleverer than all these chumps who spend all
  

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