3 ms·

I think maybe there is a common misunderstanding that Stack Overflow is a forum for discussing software dev. It's not, it's a programming Q and A site and it sp

I think maybe there is a common misunderstanding that Stack Overflow is a forum for discussing software dev. It's not, it's a programming Q and A site and it specifically spells out what that means. Questions have to be fairly specific either to a programming language, tool (make/git), library, or help figuring out a bug. Open discussion of broad CS topics is not what it's trying to be. I agree I'd like such a site. I don't think any Stack Exchanged based site will ever be such a site. I think TPTB believe it's nearly impossible to run such a site and not have it turn into crap because of the large number of people asking bad questions of the "How do I make a website like facebook" or "How do I make a game like GTA5"

yesenadam 8y ago
Sure, thanks. I don't only mean 'open discussion of broad topics', but some of the most valuable pages to me have been 'What are the best books/favourite books in field X', and the SE format is great for that - with the best books upvoted to the top of page... but even they're closed. (As being opinion-based.) Again, are there really no questions that are non-broad yet total crap? All the answers here have been like "But broad questions are mostly crap so that would be impossible" .. Ah yes, you said "turn to crap" - often I feel the problem is not with a particular question, but with what is predicted to happen if questions of that type were allowed, a kind of 'slippery slope' argument. Has that actually ever been tried, or it is an untested suspicion it will turn to crap?
- tokyodude 8y ago
  I agree with you "best books" can be good questions. They could also maybe lead to farming points so you want your book or library to appear at the top of the list you hire the mechanical turk to upvote your project to the top? I can certainly see "best of ABC" turning into a shouting match if people passionately disagree why one sucks and the other doesn't so I can accept the idea that "best books on X" are often more problematic then they seem at first glance. "best stack to clone FB functionality". "best game engine". etc... both seem like they'd turn to crap. In fact you can already see this on stackshare.io where for most products it's basically a popularity contest not a merit contest. "best text editor"

yesenadam 8y ago

Sure, thanks. I don't only mean 'open discussion of broad topics', but some of the most valuable pages to me have been 'What are the best books/favourite books in field X', and the SE format is great for that - with the best books upvoted to the top of page... but even they're closed. (As being opinion-based.) Again, are there really no questions that are non-broad yet total crap? All the answers here have been like "But broad questions are mostly crap so that would be impossible" .. Ah yes, you said "turn to crap" - often I feel the problem is not with a particular question, but with what is predicted to happen if questions of that type were allowed, a kind of 'slippery slope' argument. Has that actually ever been tried, or it is an untested suspicion it will turn to crap?

tokyodude 8y ago
I agree with you "best books" can be good questions. They could also maybe lead to farming points so you want your book or library to appear at the top of the list you hire the mechanical turk to upvote your project to the top? I can certainly see "best of ABC" turning into a shouting match if people passionately disagree why one sucks and the other doesn't so I can accept the idea that "best books on X" are often more problematic then they seem at first glance. "best stack to clone FB functionality". "best game engine". etc... both seem like they'd turn to crap. In fact you can already see this on stackshare.io where for most products it's basically a popularity contest not a merit contest. "best text editor"