4 ms·

It needs to be versioned. Maybe you are working in an environment with an old C++ compiler that can do the latest C++ tricks. You want best practices from sta

by ape4 6y ago

It needs to be versioned. Maybe you are working in an environment with an old C++ compiler that can do the latest C++ tricks. You want best practices from state of the art 10 years ago.

the_jeremy 6y ago
I have answered >100 questions on SO because I like answering questions. I would answer significantly fewer if I was required to give the range of versions that my answer worked on, because I only know that it works in my environment. If I could give just one version, then others would have to keep asking if my answer was best practice on their version. I suppose listing at least one version it works on is better than the current setup, though.
- asdff 6y ago
  The current setup is entirely obtuse. I suck at python. Sometimes I find and answer that solves my problem, and low and behold, it's python 2 and I have to read up on the changes to that function between the two versions and see if I can even use the answer as written. If there was just some little tag in the op question (Python=2.7), that would save me hours. Multiply that anecdote by the mountains of novice traffic the site receives, and you can see how a lack of versioning makes a lot of answers worthless for a lot of people. For your concern, if op said they needed help with version 2.7, presumably you'd write your answer with that in mind. Or you would say how you got it working in 3.8, and exactly how you set up your environment. If someone asked you about another version, you can throw your hands in the air and say "I don't know, but it works in 3.8 with these packages installed," and that would be a perfect response that shows others how to reproduce your work. Reproducibility should be standard practice, and you shouldn't be reliant on dubious context and dates and guesswork to reproduce an example in a website devoted to technical help.

by ape4 6y ago

It needs to be versioned. Maybe you are working in an environment with an old C++ compiler that can do the latest C++ tricks. You want best practices from state of the art 10 years ago.

the_jeremy 6y ago

I have answered >100 questions on SO because I like answering questions. I would answer significantly fewer if I was required to give the range of versions that my answer worked on, because I only know that it works in my environment. If I could give just one version, then others would have to keep asking if my answer was best practice on their version. I suppose listing at least one version it works on is better than the current setup, though.

asdff 6y ago
The current setup is entirely obtuse. I suck at python. Sometimes I find and answer that solves my problem, and low and behold, it's python 2 and I have to read up on the changes to that function between the two versions and see if I can even use the answer as written. If there was just some little tag in the op question (Python=2.7), that would save me hours. Multiply that anecdote by the mountains of novice traffic the site receives, and you can see how a lack of versioning makes a lot of answers worthless for a lot of people. For your concern, if op said they needed help with version 2.7, presumably you'd write your answer with that in mind. Or you would say how you got it working in 3.8, and exactly how you set up your environment. If someone asked you about another version, you can throw your hands in the air and say "I don't know, but it works in 3.8 with these packages installed," and that would be a perfect response that shows others how to reproduce your work. Reproducibility should be standard practice, and you shouldn't be reliant on dubious context and dates and guesswork to reproduce an example in a website devoted to technical help.