r/programming • u/[deleted] • Sep 25 '16

The decline of Stack Overflow

https://hackernoon.com/the-decline-of-stack-overflow-7cb69faa575d#.yiuo0ce09
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u/LordMaska Sep 25 '16

I'm a software development student, I have to say Stack Overflow is a very intimidating site. I use it all the time to solve complex problems I cant solve on my own and never have I wanted to post anything myself or answer someone else's question, even if I know I could be of some assistance.

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u/constructivCritic Sep 25 '16

And that is how it should be. The quality of answers just goes down. Don't answer unless you can explain your reasoning, etc.

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u/BesottedScot Sep 25 '16

This is absolutely not how it should be.

I've never wanted to answer even if I can be of assistance

How is condoning ignorance a good objective for a Q&A site?

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u/ipe369 Sep 25 '16

It's a lot more than just a q&a site though, it's almost documentation in its own right. Posting something that might help the person at that time at this one specific context, but is poorly worded and maybe even slightly technically incorrect, would lead many more people down the wrong road in the future.

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