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Stack Overflow Isn’t Very Welcoming – It’s Time for That to Change

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Re: Stack Overflow Isn’t Very Welcoming – It’s Time for That to Change

#691

Post by slavik81 »

tedmiston wrote: post #679
JPGalt wrote: post #298

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have had similar issues on this site. I have had 3 high rep users of the site close a question I asked having never answered a single question in the technology I was referencing. That said I have never felt that because I was not white I was treated differently, how would anyone even know that? I guess they could go look for a profile picture before they answer? If you have people doing that then there is a much b…

> I have had 3 high rep users of the site close a question I asked I have some mod privileges on SO and have been a user for ~8 years. The best way to not have your question locked or deleted, is to ensure you're following the best practices for asking a question and include a Minimum Complete Verifiable Example (MCVE). https://stackoverflow.com/help/how-to-ask If you feel you've done both and still don't get a good…

I've never had a question closed, but do have to agree with JPGalt that there is a problem. A lot of power is vested in high-rep users who got to high rep by making lots of snap judgments. In the Qt tag, I frequently encountered high rep C++ developers guessing at answers. They knew the language, but were unfamiliar with the library and would make guesses at how things work. Then other C++ developers browsing the front page would upvote their answer because it sounded right (even if it was completely incorrect).

It's mildly annoying when wrong answers get voted up, but it's even more annoying when moderation tools are used that way. This new user got screwed over by high-ranking close voters who didn't actually read the question: https://stackoverflow.com/q/49847677/331041

Re: Stack Overflow Isn’t Very Welcoming – It’s Time for That to Change

#693

Post by kadenshep »

ruirr wrote: post #669
kadenshep wrote: post #601

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's always a trail or sign with these people.

There is also a trail to politically correct to the nauseous people like you probably. Fanatics at both extremes are not nice.

"Both sides" are not equivalent in any objective way.

Re: Stack Overflow Isn’t Very Welcoming – It’s Time for That to Change

#694

Post by kadenshep »

dang wrote: post #686
kevintb wrote: post #572

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s hard to take your claims seriously, when you proudly and publically publish meandering rants (linked to your HN account) about how gaming communities are in no way toxic, while completely denying Gamergate, its ties to white supremacists and a wealth of other examples [1]. [1] https://gamingreinvented.com/nintendoarticles/no-the-gaming-...

Pursuing someone's personal details or history and bringing them into HN threads as ammunition isn't allowed here, regardless of how wrong someone is. Whatever edge you gain in an argument is wiped out by the damage you do to the community by attacking someone this way. Please don't do it, and especially please don't do it in a bunch of different posts, as you did in this case.

>Pursuing someone's personal details

He posted a HN comment that referenced an explicit link. That is not "personal." It's a publicly stated position, and one that sheds light on his true motivations on this subject.

I think this statement is disingenuous.

Re: Stack Overflow Isn’t Very Welcoming – It’s Time for That to Change

#695

Post by dragonwriter »

manigandham wrote: post #542
dragonwriter wrote: post #402

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The comment I replied to said minorities. Yes, and I answered your question about where the pattern of using “minorities” as it was used there came from. > This isn't about society, it's about a website with worldwide access using anonymous usernames. How is that not part of society? > Nobody is inherently disadvantaged. The issue with disadvantaged, underrepresented, and/or marginalized groups has very little to d…

Why are you even discussing tort law? Feelings are not damage . Has your emotional psyche has been permanently affected leading to challenges in how you function and cope in life? Feeling sad or frustrated or annoyed because your question was downvoted is not emotional distress. And what does this have to do with Stackoverflow? What's the duty of a commenter? How do you know the intent? Who's getting traumatized by t…

> Why are you even discussing tort law?

As I expressly stated, to demonstrate that two moral principals that contradict claims made upthread are well established in our society: (1) that the particular sensitivity of a victim to harm from a particular wrong doesn't mitigate the wrongdoers responsibility for the harm, and (2) that experiencing adverse emotional states is a harm.

Re: Stack Overflow Isn’t Very Welcoming – It’s Time for That to Change

#696

Post by cmcginty »

I think it would help if they placed more limits on how much one person can interact with the site at a time. If you are someone that sits on SO for 8 hours a day every day, then there is a high correlation you become one of the people that starts driving new/casual users away.

I can imagine other improvements but all would hurt the site popularity in the short-term. Enough that I doubt SO would ever implement them. This is probably at the core of why the reputation for SO continues to worsen over time.

Hopefully they can turn it around since the core features of the site are invaluable.

Re: Stack Overflow Isn’t Very Welcoming – It’s Time for That to Change

#697

Post by pbowyer »

bmn__ wrote: post #564
pbowyer wrote: post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> because it was too broad for him Too broad has been the bane of my questions on StackOverflow. [0] As cpburns2009 says in a sibling comment: > When you're working with an unfamiliar technology, you frequently don't even know what to ask. And if they don't, then provide some other place for questions which are exploring a field, or are more complicated than "How do I do X?" 0. https://stackoverflow.com/questions/376…

Two years too late, but here it goes. That's not an question suitable for SO, the closing votes were correct. A suitable question would be if you already had started programming, and encountered a specific problem, and asked how to solve it. There's probably a different stackexchange or forum for broad questions, but SO is out of scope. > provide some other place for questions It's up to you to find these places, the…

I disagree based on Stack Overflow's own description of itself:

"Stack Overflow is for professional and enthusiast programmers, people who write code because they love it. We feel the best Stack Overflow questions have a bit of source code in them, but if your question generally covers…

a specific programming problem, or a software algorithm, or software tools commonly used by programmers; and is a practical, answerable problem that is unique to software development … then you’re in the right place to ask your question!"

My question hits 1, involves 2 and part of 4 (practical and is unique to software development).

> A suitable question would be if you already had started programming, and encountered a specific problem, and asked how to solve it.

When you're exploring a new problem domain outside your experience (if you're a great programmer think of something outside, like improving at a new sport), and you can't determine the terms enough to find the literature - do you just 'start programming'? Or talk to people, discuss and shape your thinking based on their experience?

If you're lucky to live somewhere where you have these discussions face to face that's fantastic. Most of us don't, and those we work with who are programmers don't have the experience either.

> It's up to you to find these places, the company behind SO and the site users have no obligation to provide you with the other place.

I see. Thanks for the insight.

Re: Stack Overflow Isn’t Very Welcoming – It’s Time for That to Change

#698

Post by polychloriert »

forapurpose wrote: post #682
cup-of-tea wrote: post #501

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There was no evidence shown, though. That almost certainly means it doesn't exist. Maybe they do know that most programmers fit a particular stereotype (white/asian man), but that isn't because other people find stackoverflow "unwelcoming".

> There was no evidence shown, though. That almost certainly means it doesn't exist. OK, using that reasoning, what evidence do you have to support your statements? What evidence do you have that supports the reasoning quoted above?

Are you being sarcastic? It is impossible to prove that something does not exist. On the other hand, it is quite easy to check that the original submission does not contain any evidence.

Re: Stack Overflow Isn’t Very Welcoming – It’s Time for That to Change

#699

Post by epigramx »

The simple reality is that most moderators on the internet are 18-24 year-olds that are still too much into a teenage ego trip. More mature people are often more busy with work or they just don't give a fuck.

That's why the only fora that are fun are either vote-based or almost entirely unmoderated.

Re: Stack Overflow Isn’t Very Welcoming – It’s Time for That to Change

#700

Post by ruirr »

forapurpose wrote: post #684
waydowntogo wrote: post #274

I tried answer questions the best way I could and I had nice respond from asker mostly like it BUT there was almost everytime some smartass (with higher points than me and voted down my answer) who had some problem with that - bad words or word-order (i'm not kinding); too short answer etc. So I left. I wanted share my knowlidge but they didn't wanted them. Now admins/owners are crying. Just epic!

I hope you stick around HN, regardless of your command of English. High English proficiency isn't in the HN guidelines - most of the smart people in the world don't speak English at all! The one violating the guidelines is the other commenter who criticized you; please don't let them ruin things for the rest of us. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

I did not get out of my way to talk about his command of English, he is the one mentioning it about problems in other forums. I am not native, however if in an English forum, I will have to talk English. Otherwise, nothing prevents me from selecting forums in a language I am more proficient. Beware of the extremism in being politically correct. The truth will always be the truth.
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