Instead of "Why would I want to memorize..." you could have said, "I use
the manual/documentation to support or clarify"
And you're right, speed of coding is absolutely dependent upon the task
at hand; it is more important to "know where information is."
Unfortunately there seems to be a perception (especially with those who
do not program) that a "good" programmer doesn't need the manual, he or
she should just know.
Was this fellow a programmer or no?
USD0.02
will
Jim Davis wrote:
> I had a rather impromptu interview today. One of the questions got me
> thinking.
>
> I was being asked about the speed of my coding and was waffling a bit
> (since
> I honestly don't know how to answer that... doesn't it depend on the
> problem
> at hand?) He then refined the question and asked "do you need the
> reference
> when you code?"
>
> I answered "Sure." He asked "Why?" and I answered "Why would I want to
> memorize everything in there?" He didn't seem happy with the answer.
>
> It got me thinking. I've always felt that it's more important to know
> where
> information is (and be able to get to it quickly) than to "know" it. I
> consider myself a good, fast coder, but I code with a good reference
> manual
> at my fingertips (or livedocs.macromedia.com in a dedicated window).
>
> I've never considered this a negative... any opinions? Do you use the
> manual often? Would you hire somebody that did?
>
> It's just something that I've never considered as particularly positive or
> negative until today.
>
> Jim Davis
>
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