logoalt Hacker News

dspilletttoday at 12:24 PM0 repliesview on HN

> just like using Google is not a skill

I beg to differ. It is a simple skill that a great many have, but that doesn't make it “not a skill” - there are certainly many that don't have it, or don't want to practise it. Though I wouldn't name it specifically for Google, it is the more general “finding information online” skill which feels more specific because for many people these days it doesn't extend much beyond using Google or whatever their browser's default search service is.

People without the skill are quite evident: many of the closed duplicates on SO and similar sites are due to people lacking the skill to find information in old answers and effectively just asking others to look things up for them, the same for this week's 20th+ “my first layer has these bumps and gaps, what is going on?” question on any 3D printing forum (facebook groups etc.) that could be answered by scrolling down a few posts, and I'm sure the equivalent happens in groups serving any other plaything/hobby/skill/whatever.