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I don't think counting "let me google that for you" as a point to ease of use of the internet is legit.

I always saw it manifest as another version of RTFM. Meaning stop being lazy/do your own work.

It was both. Yes it was "stop being a lazy slob" but also carried with it the connotation of "we literally have a tool that will let you learn about literally anything you want to know by typing your exact question into the freaking box". In fact I said those words many times.

It's no longer true - we don't have that tool. We have the ghost of that tool overrun by advertisers and other scumbags, which rarely answers the question correctly, and almost never at a depth beyond what can be surmised merely by observing enough to ask the question.

> It's no longer true - we don't have that tool. We have the ghost of that tool overrun by advertisers and other scumbags, which rarely answers the question correctly, and almost never at a depth beyond what can be surmised merely by observing enough to ask the question.

And also offers an interesting parallel to RTFM: when was the last time you got a decent manual with a product?

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