How do you search the web for programming related information?

Question

Could you share your frequently used tricks to search the web for programming related information?

Here is my toolbox:

• To find a library or an application I use del.icio.us search (ex. communication java python) or recently stackoverflow.
• To check recent news about a project or library I use google and narrow my search results to month (ex. spellchecker.net)
• To find examples for a library I use google code search (ex. lang:C# log4net configure)
• For general searches I use google custom search with stackoverflow.com added as preferred site. This gives my search emphasis on the computer programing so that searching for outlook selected text returns pages related to programming not outlook user guides :).

Answer 1

When things get really difficult I sign in the library's mailing list.

Answer 2

I find that out-of-the-box* Google covers all my bases adequately. If I need documentation on something specific, I'll just add the source as part of the query, rather than going to the source itself to search there (e.g. "msdn" for BCL information)

*so to speak

Answer 3

Windows

• MSDN

*nix

• Man pages

General Programming

• StackOverflow
• SGI STL reference

Answer 4

Just google it, but google it well.

Answer 5

If it's a question I have, depending on the project, and you're really stuck I often turn to the IRC channel.

However, there's the risk you're asking a question that has already been asked a hundred times. So you might encounter some unfriendliness sometimes.

Answer 6

Well, depends on what you mean by "web". If it means www. then I just google it. If it means the net as a whole, I prefer usenet. Kinda like stackoverflow on steroids.

Answer 7

Google Code Search is invaluable.

Answer 8

In addition to typing a search term into Google..

I use Google Reader extensively. I subscribe via RSS to a large number of project blogs and programming web sites. I then allocate at least 30 mins each day to scanning through the feeds.

This helps me keep up to date and helps me when I want to find an answer.

Answer 9

In all cases, beware of the fact that all of these sources include outdated information in addition to current information. Check the dates on articles - something from 2002 is much less likely to be relevant than something from 2007, even if it is clearly written and makes perfect sense - for 2002.

The example I constantly bring up is the number of articles on WSE that will come up in search results on MSDN for "web service security". I've had reports of people implementing WSE because it came up in search results, not knowing that WSE is obsolete.