This seemed to fall in line with the LMGTFY links: http://whathaveyoutried.com

What do you guys think of the article?

I think it's spot on
There's a lot of posts on here that fail the "what have you tried" test. Far too often I open a post, see someone saying "I'm trying to do x but I can't, it don't work", missing any kind of detail that could possibly let me help them, and I just close the tab out of frustration. TBH I usually don't even bother asking "what have you tried?" in those kinds of threads any more.

Google shows that it is a very common response here though
http://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Agamedev.net+"What+have+you+tried"

This topic is not too obvious I think. An imprecise explanation (or choosing what to tell and what not to tell not carefully enough) can be more misleading than not enough info, especially with bugfixing.

Google shows that it is a very common response here though
http://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Agamedev.net+"What+have+you+tried"

Related search requests according to Google:
"have you tried turning it off and on again" and "have you tried to turn it off and on again".


But 15 Google-pages with these exact words is quite a bit. Not sure if that's a good thing though.

This article bluntly states the obvious. However it is primarily aimed at people with this "sickness", and they're unlikely to come across this article.

Ability to problem-solve is one of the primary criteria that we look into when hiring staff (not just programmers mind you) and it critical in many positions.

While I can certainly get away with a few junior programmers that do not have that kind of curiosity and end up letting them some minor integration, I'd hate to be working with seniors that have lost (or never had, which begs to wonder how they've become seniors at all) their ability to do proper problem-solving.

Personally, I think everything is much fun and rewarding when you've done the bulk of the job yourself as far as trying to find a solution is concerned (even if it turns out a quick Stack-Overflow search returns an easy solution, because at least, it helps you validate or invalidate some of your process and helps you grow as a result).

Ability to problem-solve is one of the primary criteria that we look into...

If problem solving is making use of the resources you have available to you to get the desired outcome then it could be argued that first attempting to get someone else to give you the answer is a valid form of problem solving. Especially when you've had success with this technique before.

In fact, "don't reinvent the wheel" is another phrase that's used around here. And again it means, if someone has already done the work for you then you should take advantage of that.

That said, when someone here asks a question and it seems like they don't want to put much effort into their work, I feel like putting about an equal amount of effort into answering their question.

Good article, but like Orymus said, unless you have a way of getting this information to people who may be suffering from this sickness, you are "Preaching to the Choir" (as we say in Southern USA). An issues that goes hand in hand with this issue is "How do you find it"? Often times a google search with generic terms does not return the results that would give correct information. I'd love to see "How do you find information" and an article such as this one in the hands of every developer before they get started.

I think it's spot on
There's a lot of posts on here that fail the "what have you tried" test. Far too often I open a post, see someone saying "I'm trying to do x but I can't, it don't work", missing any kind of detail that could possibly let me help them, and I just close the tab out of frustration. TBH I usually don't even bother asking "what have you tried?" in those kinds of threads any more.

^^^ This is where I am. You can tell if the OP has tried to figure it out and is out of options, or if they are just being lazy. I tend to only try and help those who are struggling. But I can't always tell. I think I will start linking this article in those posts no one is going to answer because they are obviously just looking for someone to post a solution.

This is why I don't try to help noobs.

I think this happens because of the differences between the way engineers and non-engineers think. Engineers create things and solve problems. That's what they do. In order to become an engineer, one has to get used to the idea of solving problems, which means trying things out, poking at things, breaking things apart, and seeing how stuff work. Engineers don't actually seek solutions, engineers seek for deeper understanding of the whole system.

Non-engineers seek for solutions. They don't care how things work. They just want it done. Broken cars? Who gives a fuck, get it running! Computers froze? I don't know, tried pressing the buttons so many times and still don't work. Pay someone to do it! I just want it running, damnit!

When a non-engineer is tasked to solve a problem, they would naturally look for a solution: a sample code. They don't care how it works, but if they can get their hands on a potential solution, they will force that solution in. If that still doesn't work, rather than trying to figure things out, they seek for another solution. If they can't find it, they give up, and call it done.

Those who are new to engineering fields will have this attitude. I have done it too. I remember of trying out all the equations in a physics textbook to solve a problem. I didn't care why those equations exist, I didn't care how gravity works. Just give me the equations I need to solve this homework problem!