On the contrary I feel great pity for people who grow up only knowing an entirely searchable world. There was so much magic and excitement when things were unknown, secret, mysterious.

Specifically trying to solve the kind of problem discussed by the OP, yes it was frustrating as hell but it taught tenacity, resourcefulness, and was ultimately SO satisfying when you figured it out.

Now you just google and get pissed if the first result doesn't have a copy/paste answer to your problem.