JonnyP

In short, my opinion of GOTOs is like having a GPS in your car. Learning to drive is a separate operation from learning where you want to go. With a GPS you trade having to program it with where you want to go for having it direct you to the location (provided the directions are clear - some are, some aren't, get a good one.) Without a GPS you have to follow roadsigns - akin to starhopping and hope you don't get lost.

That's an interesting comparison, because of course when you use GPS or SatNav instead of a map you don't learn the way, and of more relevance, you don't learn the way the land looks. When you look at a map you notice all sorts of interesting bits that a SatNav doesn't show. (Didn't you see the huge castle next to your destination, or the astronomy shop two streets away, etc. I was once talking to a bunch of cyclists who had used SatNav to get to a mountainbike centre and were wondering where to stay. They were completely unaware of the large city nearby..).

When I'm examining my star atlas to jump to whichever object I'll often notice another object that looks interesting close by and star hop to that as well. That can lead to a whole evening on a diversion as such but can be very entertaining. And with a Goto I doubt I'd have looked at half of the interesting NGCs or weirdly coloured stars, or double stars, etc.

For my way of thinking GPS doesn't compare with driving but with learning how to use a map and all of the benefits that brings.