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Why Stack Overflow Sucks (2012)

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Re: Why Stack Overflow Sucks (2012)

#11

Post by bunkat »

In my experience, Stack Overflow is still one of the only places that I can ask questions and expect to receive useful information within the same day. I admit I don't answer questions as much as I used to, but there still seems to be plenty of people around to help. Also, as a general corpus of knowledge it really can't be beat - I often find useful answers to questions that were asked years ago.

I know it's currently in vogue to hate on it, but for me it continues to be a great source of information.

Re: Why Stack Overflow Sucks (2012)

#12

Post by rhth54656 »

cookerware wrote: post #7

I remember being ridiculed for having more questions than answers. It's skewed to the idea that answering and contributing your thought is of more important than the question generating such thought. Regardless, Stackoverflow has fell off it's high place.

I remember being ridiculed for having more questions than answers

Do you know that StackOverflow does not tolerate abuse and there is a flag option to automatically review any comment or post. In the rare case that doesn't work out you can directly contact moderators or developers who will actually respond. No community is perfect and you should really consider that options if you were offended. I have yet to see any ridicule that wasn't removed in 15 minutes or less.

Re: Why Stack Overflow Sucks (2012)

#13

Post by cookerware »

rhth54656 wrote: post #12
cookerware wrote: post #7

I remember being ridiculed for having more questions than answers. It's skewed to the idea that answering and contributing your thought is of more important than the question generating such thought. Regardless, Stackoverflow has fell off it's high place.

I remember being ridiculed for having more questions than answers Do you know that StackOverflow does not tolerate abuse and there is a flag option to automatically review any comment or post. In the rare case that doesn't work out you can directly contact moderators or developers who will actually respond. No community is perfect and you should really consider that options if you were offended. I have yet to see any…

Well, that mechanism has not worked well. Especially, someone with a large reputation point appears to be exempt and there exists elitism amongst it's members.

Largely, Stackoverflow has now become something like wikipedia, just an index of questions and answers with zealous moderators and elitists and no longer a community.

Re: Why Stack Overflow Sucks (2012)

#15

Post by egoebelbecker »

prohor wrote: post #14

Something I start to notice that more and more questions are being closed as duplicate pointing to another question which only sounds similar but when you look deeper it is different.

I see this often too, usually when Google brings me in via the "duplicate" question. I end up steered to a question that is kinda close, but no cigar.

But these moderators have a job to do. If they allow too many "duplicates" SO might run out of drive space or something.

Re: Why Stack Overflow Sucks (2012)

#16

Post by nextweek2 »

qntmfred wrote: post #9

yup. I also stopped participating there in 2012 or so. It's really quite a shame. I still find my way there from Google pretty frequently, but I don't bother asking or answering questions anymore

Sorry but isn't that like shooting yourself in the foot?

Its a democratic process, if you are in it you have a chance to change it. Review questions and be more lenient than others will make the average change.

Asking and answering can certainly be a pain, but its still better than the myriad of Internet forums.

Re: Why Stack Overflow Sucks (2012)

#17

Post by jeremysmyth »

cookerware wrote: post #13
rhth54656 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I remember being ridiculed for having more questions than answers Do you know that StackOverflow does not tolerate abuse and there is a flag option to automatically review any comment or post. In the rare case that doesn't work out you can directly contact moderators or developers who will actually respond. No community is perfect and you should really consider that options if you were offended. I have yet to see any…

Well, that mechanism has not worked well. Especially, someone with a large reputation point appears to be exempt and there exists elitism amongst it's members. Largely, Stackoverflow has now become something like wikipedia, just an index of questions and answers with zealous moderators and elitists and no longer a community.

That was always the design goal. It was never a place for discussions, ever.

They eventually implemented the chat rooms because there was a demand for community-style conversations and interactions, but they've never allowed discussions or conversations in the Q/A format, and comments that turn into conversations are discouraged in the code.

Subsequently, one of the founders (Jeff Atwood) went on to form Discourse, which is about conversation and community.

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