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I was a heavy SO user before some years however I have stopped posting questions nowadays (mainly because of the reasons presented in the article) and I find an

I was a heavy SO user before some years however I have stopped posting questions nowadays (mainly because of the reasons presented in the article) and I find answering too time consuming. What I've found really helpful when I need to learn a new language / paradigm is to use IRC (freenode). I more or less learned Kotlin and Elixir just by reading some online articles and asking things on the corresponding IRC channels. The people there are helpful and the most important thing is that asking a question will start a discussion about being idiomatic, other ways to solve a problem etc, things that are not possible in a Q/A site like SO. Also I had asked some very difficult questions about mysql and postgresql in the corresponding channels (that I expected to get no answer) and they were answered almost immediately. I urge you to try it: No walled gardens, no people selling/advertising through your data, no point system, complete freedom to ask (and answer) whatever you wish.

Avamander 7y ago
> What I've found really helpful when I need to learn a new language / paradigm is to use IRC (freenode). Absolutely, for example my experience with PostgreSQL people there has been amazing.
prepend 7y ago
I like this method. I think there’s something about IRC that’s just hard enough to use that it filters out a lot of people. If you described IRC to me, I wouldn’t think it would work. But almost 30 years later, I’m still using it. I think it’s another example of how protocols are better than apps for sustainability and true “value,” as opposed to fundraising.
jodrellblank 7y ago
> use IRC (freenode) The underlying issue I see here, is the geek desire to answer a question once and for all, and have beginners just fuck off and read the damn faq and stop asking. (Everybody is a beginner in a task they don't know how to do, for all it matters, but experienced people will not stay that way as long as inexperienced people). Whereas beginners want to chat, have someone help/mentor/guide through which bits are relevant, current, idiomatic, easy, hard, tailored to their problem. Beginners don't know what to read, and can't spot it or make sense of it when they see it. (Again, everyone is a beginner, for if the seasoned expert knew what to read to answer their question, they'd be off reading it instead of posting a question on StackOverflow). People on realtime chat services are the kind of people who don't mind (or people in a state of mind where they don't mind) answering the same kinds of questions, and talking the same things, over and over and over. StackOverflow mixes people who want "one answer forever" nitpicking question and answers as if they were encyclopaedia editors to make them 'perfect' to be a forever-answer, with people who want "realtime help" asking, who don't care about exactly the right wording and terms and formatting and stuff. NB. that the people who would be asking, but are on the "one and done" side of things, are the people off studying the FAQ and documentation and code, and buying books and courses where they expect to find answers already existing, so they don't so often show up on the questions side of SO.

Avamander 7y ago

> What I've found really helpful when I need to learn a new language / paradigm is to use IRC (freenode). Absolutely, for example my experience with PostgreSQL people there has been amazing.

prepend 7y ago

I like this method. I think there’s something about IRC that’s just hard enough to use that it filters out a lot of people. If you described IRC to me, I wouldn’t think it would work. But almost 30 years later, I’m still using it. I think it’s another example of how protocols are better than apps for sustainability and true “value,” as opposed to fundraising.

jodrellblank 7y ago

> use IRC (freenode) The underlying issue I see here, is the geek desire to answer a question once and for all, and have beginners just fuck off and read the damn faq and stop asking. (Everybody is a beginner in a task they don't know how to do, for all it matters, but experienced people will not stay that way as long as inexperienced people). Whereas beginners want to chat, have someone help/mentor/guide through which bits are relevant, current, idiomatic, easy, hard, tailored to their problem. Beginners don't know what to read, and can't spot it or make sense of it when they see it. (Again, everyone is a beginner, for if the seasoned expert knew what to read to answer their question, they'd be off reading it instead of posting a question on StackOverflow). People on realtime chat services are the kind of people who don't mind (or people in a state of mind where they don't mind) answering the same kinds of questions, and talking the same things, over and over and over. StackOverflow mixes people who want "one answer forever" nitpicking question and answers as if they were encyclopaedia editors to make them 'perfect' to be a forever-answer, with people who want "realtime help" asking, who don't care about exactly the right wording and terms and formatting and stuff. NB. that the people who would be asking, but are on the "one and done" side of things, are the people off studying the FAQ and documentation and code, and buying books and courses where they expect to find answers already existing, so they don't so often show up on the questions side of SO.