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requirements to install the project, description of the architecture, and what other
people think about a project.
Error Related Information When developers get exceptions after they compile,
run, or test their code, they look to the Web to find error related information
that could be helpful to understand the error and fix it. Developers are interested
in finding the cause of the error, how to solve it, and experiences other developers
have with the same issue.
Others In this category we grouped search targets that did not fall in any of the
previous categories. We found that developers are also trying to find again a Web
page recently visited that was useful but they do not have a link to it (2), and
trying to find the meaning of a word (1). In one case, a developer did not know
exactly what he was looking for and in other two cases developers described their
search targets in terms of the problems that they were trying to solve.
13.5.2 Looking for Code Snippets and Looking for Open
Source Projects Are Different Problems
Analyzing the motivation of Web searches from an opportunistic problem solving
perspective, makes evident the differences between searches for code snippets and
searches for open source projects.
When developers search for code snippets or explanations to remember syntax
details, clarify implementation concepts or fix bugs, and learn new concepts, they
are performing opportunistic searches. These searches do not follow a planned pro-
cess, instead, they are ad hoc. Developers perform opportunistic searches to find
missing information and incrementally gather information.
On the other hand, Web searches to look for open source projects are done fol-
lowing a methodical or planned process. Developers methodically evaluate each
open source candidate by looking into the Web for further information about a
set of criteria. These criteria includes cost, installation requirements, functionality,
architecture, and reputation.
Finding these differences between searches for code snippets and searches for
open source projects makes it clear that developers need different tool support for
these two types of searches.
13.6 Implications for Tools
Our empirical studies show that developers perform Web searches differently to
look for code snippets (opportunistic searches) and to look for open source projects
(non-opportunistic searches). In this section, we provide implications for tools for
these two types of searches separately.
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