Question of the Month: Who do you first turn to for help solving a technical problem?

e14 Question of the Month

Solving a technical problem can be frustrating or stressful, especially when it is an urgent need. Many times it requires some help to solve the problem. Who do you first turn to when you need help solving a technical problem? You tell us by voting in our poll below.

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beacon_dave over 1 year ago +3

It depends on the technical problem but usually it's 'RTFM', which these days usually means downloading a PDF from a manufacturer's website.
SensoredHacker0 over 1 year ago +3

I use the problem solving method of describing the problem as if I were describing the problem to my cat. Breaking the problem down so simply, that even my cat could understand. Usually, by the time I…
kmikemoo over 1 year ago +3

Now that I've had some time to think about it... I read the manual. If available, I go for the schematic first and THEN read the manual. If I don't have one, I do an internet search FOR the manual. Didn…

beacon_dave over 1 year ago

It depends on the technical problem but usually it's 'RTFM', which these days usually means downloading a PDF from a manufacturer's website.
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javagoza over 1 year ago

I make it a habit to thoroughly read all the documentation for the products or libraries I use. If I encounter a technical problem and get stuck, my first step is to take a break, go for a walk, and then review the problem again. If that doesn't help, I'll explain the issue to a coworker using the rubber duck debugging technique. If I'm still stuck, I'll search online forums, although I find that search engines aren't as effective as they used to be due to the impact of AI.
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SensoredHacker0 over 1 year ago

I use the problem solving method of describing the problem as if I were describing the problem to my cat. Breaking the problem down so simply, that even my cat could understand. Usually, by the time I've done that, I have my solution.

AI is trash. it can save a little typing, but its not going to solve anything I'm having trouble with. My cat is smarter than AI.
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SensoredHacker0 over 1 year ago in reply to SensoredHacker0

My alt strategy is to ask questions before I need answers. As in predicting problems, and the delay a sensible answer might take.
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kmikemoo over 1 year ago

Now that I've had some time to think about it... I read the manual. If available, I go for the schematic first and THEN read the manual. If I don't have one, I do an internet search FOR the manual.

Didn't see beacon_dave 's response until I hit "Reply". Yeah. What he said.
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aspork42 over 1 year ago

You guys don’t go post “please solve my problem for me urgent it’s due tomorrow and I have no idea what I’m doing” on 10 different forums?
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SensoredHacker0 over 1 year ago in reply to aspork42

post my wrong answer, and let the 1337s correct me.
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aspork42 over 1 year ago

Wait a minute! I post on Element14! Is that the correct answer? Do I win something pchan ?
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embeddedguy over 1 year ago

People also often turn to Forums as they are the recommended platform. but nowadays internet helps solve many issues specifically if they are in software.

For hardware issues. Of course after internet the first thing to look is datasheets of the product. Also datasheets and official documentation is more reliable than internet such as stack overflow etc....
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dougw over 1 year ago

I usually try to solve problems myself.

I often use the internet to find pre-solved problems and avoid re-inventing the wheel. Especially if it is some aspect I'm not super interested in doing myself. Other people's solutions come with their own problems and learning curves.

I almost never ask for help - I have that phobia.
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