k10er

I interviewed on a team like this - they just weren't able to meet compensation.

It was refreshing to be interviewed like I would be a valued addition to their team with my unique skills rather than quizzed on the information.

I've worked in these environments before (not as a programmer though).

It definitely tests your skill and you can identify who can solve problems on their own. Hopefully you have an additional network that you can do research on.

When I interview a candidate, if they don't know the answer but say "they could Google it" I would then ask them what they would Google.

If what they Google would provide them the correct answer, I'm OK with someone who knows how and when to Google something. Those that don't think about researching themselves usually end up asking me in-person. And I usually then ask them if they have done any research themselves.

I hate 'trivia' interviews with 'gotcha' questions dealing with experiences their team may have recently dealt with (and probably took weeks to identify/resolve).

I would say the port/protocol memorization may be required depending on what job you are interviewing for. If its for a tech support job, maybe the ports/protocol question is pointless.