[65]

Perhaps we're considering reading with different perspectives. Reading a novel? Yeah sure. Reading documentation just to read it? Sure.

But it's essentially impossible to learn without information about a subject.

How do you suppose someone learn programming without reading documentation? Without reading code examples? This is active reading compared to passive reading, such as reading a novel.

[theshrike79]

Let's take two hypothetical people:

One reads all of the C++ spec from cover to cover. Remembers every single word of it, doesn't write a line of code.

One just starts fumbling around, writing code, reading just enough docs to get where they need to go.

Which one is the better programmer?