When programming, anytime I get stuck, perhaps with a compiler error that doesn't make sense, or from a GUI function that didn't do what I expected, I automatically google my problem, find someone else that faced the same thing, and read what's going on and why I'm getting the problem. Before the internet, how did people handle these situations?

People used to read books and manuals more, I know. But books don't explain everything, like the odd compiler problem that you get sometimes, or nothing showing up on your screen despite you clearly writing correct OpenGL code. How did people cope when facing challenges? Did they simply "bash their head" on the wall till they figured it out? Is there something people used to do regularly on the side that gave them the ability to get themselves unstuck more easily? Were libraries/compilers much simpler back then?

I've been asking this question because I sometimes feel guilty depending on Google so much when I'm pretty sure programmers before my time were more independent when it comes to facing these matters.