171–180 of 237 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm curious what kind of programming job you could have where you look up stuff less than 10 times a day.
Something they are actually competent doing, I suppose.
But, generally, yes, I tend to know the details of what I'm doing already. If anything I might check some API docs for a library.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Everyone whose downvotes exceed a certain threshold has their reputation points reduced to zero. Why it would help? While closing random questions as duplicates of similar but different question is obnoxious, downvoting "do my homework for me" questions is very useful.
> While closing random questions as duplicates of similar but different question is obnoxious, downvoting "do my homework for me" questions is very useful. In what way? Who really cares if it's homework or a newbie question? Are you such an expert in everything that you never ask newbie questions? This arrogant attitude is toxic, spreads quickly, and poisons far too many communities. I'm grateful to dang et al that H…
Just ignoring the newbie questions is best, unless you want to answer honestly.
On the r/jazz and r/classicalmusic, almost every day there's some question like "I'm just getting into . What are some top albums/artists I should listen to?"
Someone does answer those questions. Props to those saintly people.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
For finding answers, Stack Overflow may be useful, but for posting questions, it is not. I ceased posting questions a while ago due to the aggressive moderation, which often labeled my questions as duplicates or too common. I was very upset with the direction Stack Overflow had taken, as it seemed to embody the very criticisms it had once had about forums. The Stack Overflow community has lost its vibrancy and has be…
Is ChatGPT a competitor? I always viewed LLMs in this context as an interface for SO. They're not contributing new answers/code, right?
If there is an experienced C++ developer around who is happy to answer questions, great. Otherwise you are stuck with having to figure it out by using trial and errors and Google-fu. If you post it to a forum, it could take a while for anyone to respond. If you post it to stackoverflow, very likely nobody wants to look at your horrible code (natural for a beginner, you know), and your question gets downvoted.
By contrast, ChatGPT can look at your code and explain very clearly what is wrong with it within seconds.
This is just one example. And it's not only for beginners. I have found that ChatGPT can answer high-level questions in programming very well. The alternative would be searching for the Internet and sift through all the noise to find the answers as well.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Thats not the point. The point is who cares about the mistreatment. The objective is to get the relevant info. I'm one of the highest ranked people on SO. And guess what? All I do on SO is ask stupid ass questions. One time someone scolded me, said I should know better for asking a certain question that was against policy of something given that my rank was so high. You know what I said to him? Nothing. I just didn't…
I care. And it's not "in my head." Read the comments here, others have had similar experiences to mine: I'm not just making it up; it's a real downside with real impact. Now as for me: I don't mind being stupid (look at how often I get downvoted here in HN: water off a duck's back). I want to be treated in a dignified way. And if that's not happening and there are better sources out there, then I don't have to play t…
What better source is there? Stackoverflow is the best IMO. I'm up for a better resource if a better one actually exists.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Grow some skin. Other then the snark it's a good resource. I agree that the snark shouldn't be there but stack overflow is a good resource for lurkers and people who don't care and aren't so hurt by online mistreatment. It's just randos on the internet.
Spoken like someone who lurked in #Linux on EFNet. There's a way to foster new people who are interested in your field. There's a time to explain something, and a time to say you're at a point where you should be able to grasp this, and point them in a direction, and wish them well. There's never a time to make someone feel stupid for simply asking a question, even if it really is a stupid question.
It sounds harsh but I have no sympathy for the company or its community. The people running that site turned it into such a hostile and toxic place, to the point they probably pushed a lot of people out of engineering. Just completely condescending and rude jannies who were taking out their anger from being bullied in high school on unsuspecting beginners. They’re getting what they deserve and I’m savoring every seco…
If I had a nickel for every SO thread that came up in my Google searches that could have answered my question if only the SO moderators had allowed it to be answered, I'd be able to buy a few steak dinners.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I’m curious what you are doing that leads you to lookup stuff 10 times a day.
I'm curious what kind of programming job you could have where you look up stuff less than 10 times a day.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
They pushed me out when I was a student in Uni struggling with Java 101. And my experience left me shocked that an industry could be so cruel to people trying to learn the ropes and be just another programmer. Luckily, I persevered, and I give back to the programming community by always being kind to the folks that ask me for help; but I always help others offline and not in hostile web forums.
I've answered a lot of Java questions on SO. One of the themes is beginner questions, and a lot are essentially "do my homework for me," poorly researched, or poorly asked. What have you tried? What have you researched? Explain your understanding for why you think what you're doing should work. Even if you're asking good beginner questions that don't already have an answer, you get tired of reading all the bad ones.…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Is ChatGPT a competitor? I always viewed LLMs in this context as an interface for SO. They're not contributing new answers/code, right?
Suppose you are just learning C++ language. There is a syntax error or type mismatch. The error message is 50 lines long and it does not make any sense to you. You already spent 10 minutes on it. What do you do now? If there is an experienced C++ developer around who is happy to answer questions, great. Otherwise you are stuck with having to figure it out by using trial and errors and Google-fu. If you post it to a f…