> If you need the internet to program you're similarly useless.
This seriously depends on the complexity of the task, the software you're using, how good your memory is and how confident you're in what you write.
Let's say you're using an API of a third party solution... you need Internet.
Let's say you're using a new framework/plugin you need to read documentation for it (and yes, you can download it, but then you incur the risk of it being outdated or missing something...).
There's so many other instances where you need the Internet if you want to end up writing good code. There's also instances you don't... but yeah in the long run you do need the Internet / live documentation / ability to search for bugs, problems and troubleshoot with "latest" information available as oppose to the 10month dusty documentation PDF you got sitting on your machine.
1. Of course you need the internet if you're hitting an api but the docs will get you to the point you can test it yourself without internet access by mocking their services.
2. If you're using a new framework or plugin you should have the source available in addition to the documentation. That should tell you all you need. 10 month "dusty" documentation means you're working with unstable code. If you don't have the source to inspect then you have other issues, the first being the proprietary code inflicted mess that you have to deal with.
3. You can download the stackoverflow databases of the topics you deem important and search through them.
To be honest you just seem to be coming up with impractical/unrealistic and idealistic counter arguments.
Does anyone really go to that much effort just so they can be offline?
Don't get me wrong, if I was going to a remote place without internet and needed to do some coding there, your suggestions make sense, even though I think there are pitfalls to that approach as then you're working off "static data/comments,etc" which might require further context or more recent context, which you'll need the Internet for.
How is mocking services impractical? You have to do it anyway for tests.
How is having their source code impractical? You should have downloaded it anyway.
The only one that might seem extreme is downloading the SO dbs. I have done this because I stay offline so I can better focus. Not everyone (probably very few) will reach that point.
I think you're overblowing how recent the information you require is tbh. You can get a lot done with months old information.
This seriously depends on the complexity of the task, the software you're using, how good your memory is and how confident you're in what you write.
Let's say you're using an API of a third party solution... you need Internet.
Let's say you're using a new framework/plugin you need to read documentation for it (and yes, you can download it, but then you incur the risk of it being outdated or missing something...).
There's so many other instances where you need the Internet if you want to end up writing good code. There's also instances you don't... but yeah in the long run you do need the Internet / live documentation / ability to search for bugs, problems and troubleshoot with "latest" information available as oppose to the 10month dusty documentation PDF you got sitting on your machine.