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Discussion on: What do you do when StackOverflow and the internet fails you?

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jfrankcarr profile image
Frank Carr

1) First of all, blame Microsoft (works even if you're using a non-Microsoft stack)

2) Break the problem down into small, testable, parts. This can be helpful in revealing bugs in problematic third party libraries, especially those where you don't have the source code. If you use test-driven development, it makes this easier.

3) Back up and look at the design as a whole. Perhaps there's a "you can't get there from here" design issue more than a coding issue.

4) Find other developers to brainstorm with. This might be difficult if you're working solo but sometimes even bouncing ideas off a non-programmer might help you discover some insight.

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mortoray profile image
edA‑qa mort‑ora‑y

And when that fails as well?

My step 1 typically includes Apple and Google lately, not Microsoft.

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jfrankcarr profile image
Frank Carr

Blaming Microsoft is handy for when your web app works great in Chrome but fails in IE and Edge. I guess if you're doing apps for devices, blaming Apple and Google is just as good though.

However, in 30 years, I haven't found a coding problem that couldn't be solved by working through it much like I described. It was more difficult in the early, pre-Internet, 90's when I had to fly out to customer sites to figure out tricky software-hardware interface issues.

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mortoray profile image
edA‑qa mort‑ora‑y

I vaguely recall pre-web coding... they weren't pleasant. Lots of focus, sure, but few avenues for help.

Today, like many time in my experience, I've often resorted to good workarounds, acceptable workarounds, or at times abandoning features due to problems. It isn't pleasant, but I think it's necessary sometimes.