4 ms·

I'm in the top 0.2% for the year, only started in earnest less than 2 years ago. I got tired of always seeing outdated answers as the top, so I actively starte

by gibolt 6y ago

I'm in the top 0.2% for the year, only started in earnest less than 2 years ago. I got tired of always seeing outdated answers as the top, so I actively started searching them out (JS first, then Android) and answering with the newest variant. I make sure to include browser/device support and update regularly. How I wish mods could change the accepted answer (or let it be voted on like deletion) after original question asker has dropped off the face of the earth.

mjw1007 6y ago
I wonder why they can't. SO seems to be eternally undecided about whether it's trying to be an unconventionally structured forum, a massively multiplayer online game, or a jointly edited database of useful information. I wish it would put a bit more emphasis on the last one of those.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- DaiPlusPlus 6y ago
  SO needs to find a way to accommodate “Recommendations” (for tools, libs, docs, tuts) questions/answers. They rightfully banned them early-on because they get stale, fast - but as we’re seeing now, even “good” questions for a long-standing platform like Java, Android, .NET get old before too long - it’s especially annoying when someone asked a question back in 2011-2014 about something which you couldn’t do back then but that you can do now due to recent changes in the platform (e.g. using immutable types with object-initialiser syntax in C#) so right now the “No you can’t” answer from 6 years ago gets 100+ upvotes and a helpful beginner/new/low-ranking user posts a new reply but will get ignored by SO’s algorithm unless/until a higher-ranked user comes along and gives it a boost. SO should add a “Vote to close because: Obsolete” option - which keeps the question visible but locks new answer replies and displays a very visible and prominent banner infotmjng users it’s for an old version (with the version range displayed and helpful information to find out what version you’re using).
- mark-r 6y ago
  It's simple, really - they're just trying to maximize the pageviews. If you have to click on 5 different Google search results to get the answer you needed, they've won. Getting the answer efficiently on the first click would be detrimental to their revenue model.
  - hansvm 6y ago
    Wouldn't prioritizing short-term ad revenue be detrimental to the rest of their business model?
chx 6y ago
> How I wish mods could change the accepted answer https://meta.stackexchange.com/q/18312/155098 https://meta.stackexchange.com/q/18312/155098
- gibolt 6y ago
  Doesn't have to be mods. Could be experts above a threshold via voting. After a year, the owner should perhaps no longer own the question. They've already gotten the answer, and now it only matters to new viewers. If the answer changes, accepted answer needs to be updated.
  - chx 6y ago
    This was addressed long ago https://meta.stackexchange.com/q/117379/155098 https://meta.stackexchange.com/q/117379/155098 tl;dr: a) it's not impossible someone still uses the old tech b) it's easy to add a comment saying "this pertains to version X.Y, newer versions are different see [answer](link)" c) if the accepted answer is wrong then fix it, everyone can edit answers and people above 2000 can edit immediately, however note wrongness is very often subjective and expect pushback unless it is objectively, factually wrong. For example, on my home turf, in PHP, the ancient create_function() has not been recommended to be used for many, many years now, it's deprecated now, and it'll be removed end of this year. But if you are diving into an old embedded system using PHP (owie, I know) then information about create_function() might be absolutely invaluable since noone has the slightest idea how to use it any more because it's already been out of use for a decade. A PHP 5.0 answer using create_function() doesn't become invalid just because PHP 5.3+ is using closures. For PHP 5.0 it is the correct answer.
    - gibolt 6y ago
      This is the reason I'm not suggesting to edit or remove old answer, just down-rank them in results. If 99% of development uses a new standard, showing the deprecated one at the top by default on the post most developers will find via Google isn't good. Even if you add a comment or an addendum with a link, it is only a band-aid that probably half of non-senior devs will still miss, trudging down the wrong path anyway
bussierem 6y ago
As someone currently utterly suffering trying to learn Android code via docs, google, and SO posts I want you to know that I am very thankful you are doing this. The state of online help for Android is on the edge of a comic tragedy.
- steve_adams_86 6y ago
  I sincerely wanted to get into android development and this is why I didn’t. You’re totally right. I couldn’t tell if I was missing something. How can a major mobile platform (THE major platform?) be such a rats nest to begin developing for?
  - adventured 6y ago
    > How can a major mobile platform (THE major platform?) be such a rats nest to begin developing for? The great mobile stagnation has begun. We're at least a few years into that now. The mobile market is no longer growing (and or barely growing) based on usage and unit sales. The market has largely been saturated in terms of time and devices. Even India is heavily flooded with smartphones now, and it was one of the last great potential markets. So what you have is a large group of existing developers with experience and a gradually reducing group of new inbound developers pursuing a shrinking number of free (widen open) opportunities (in jobs, in new apps that can be created, etc). It will end up mostly being a replacement system, where as developers slowly age out or leave, that's the max inbound new developers you can fit into the stagnate market (to have it be any other way, you need more growth than exists now, or is likely to exist going forward). The existing developer base largely doesn't need the Stackoverflow information updated, and the demand from new developers isn't as high as it used to be. Most platforms start to stagnate in this manner after they pass their peak / prime days. Mobile is aging as a thing, in other words, and you're starting to see that show up in such ways as rotting Stackoverflow info.
    - jagannathtech 6y ago
      What is the next big thing?
tedmiston 6y ago
There is an editor permission for this use case so that users besides the author can make updates to keep a popular answer up-to-date.

by gibolt 6y ago

mjw1007 6y ago

I wonder why they can't. SO seems to be eternally undecided about whether it's trying to be an unconventionally structured forum, a massively multiplayer online game, or a jointly edited database of useful information. I wish it would put a bit more emphasis on the last one of those.

deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
DaiPlusPlus 6y ago
SO needs to find a way to accommodate “Recommendations” (for tools, libs, docs, tuts) questions/answers. They rightfully banned them early-on because they get stale, fast - but as we’re seeing now, even “good” questions for a long-standing platform like Java, Android, .NET get old before too long - it’s especially annoying when someone asked a question back in 2011-2014 about something which you couldn’t do back then but that you can do now due to recent changes in the platform (e.g. using immutable types with object-initialiser syntax in C#) so right now the “No you can’t” answer from 6 years ago gets 100+ upvotes and a helpful beginner/new/low-ranking user posts a new reply but will get ignored by SO’s algorithm unless/until a higher-ranked user comes along and gives it a boost. SO should add a “Vote to close because: Obsolete” option - which keeps the question visible but locks new answer replies and displays a very visible and prominent banner infotmjng users it’s for an old version (with the version range displayed and helpful information to find out what version you’re using).
mark-r 6y ago
It's simple, really - they're just trying to maximize the pageviews. If you have to click on 5 different Google search results to get the answer you needed, they've won. Getting the answer efficiently on the first click would be detrimental to their revenue model.
- hansvm 6y ago
  Wouldn't prioritizing short-term ad revenue be detrimental to the rest of their business model?

chx 6y ago

> How I wish mods could change the accepted answer https://meta.stackexchange.com/q/18312/155098 https://meta.stackexchange.com/q/18312/155098

gibolt 6y ago
Doesn't have to be mods. Could be experts above a threshold via voting. After a year, the owner should perhaps no longer own the question. They've already gotten the answer, and now it only matters to new viewers. If the answer changes, accepted answer needs to be updated.
- chx 6y ago
  This was addressed long ago https://meta.stackexchange.com/q/117379/155098 https://meta.stackexchange.com/q/117379/155098 tl;dr: a) it's not impossible someone still uses the old tech b) it's easy to add a comment saying "this pertains to version X.Y, newer versions are different see [answer](link)" c) if the accepted answer is wrong then fix it, everyone can edit answers and people above 2000 can edit immediately, however note wrongness is very often subjective and expect pushback unless it is objectively, factually wrong. For example, on my home turf, in PHP, the ancient create_function() has not been recommended to be used for many, many years now, it's deprecated now, and it'll be removed end of this year. But if you are diving into an old embedded system using PHP (owie, I know) then information about create_function() might be absolutely invaluable since noone has the slightest idea how to use it any more because it's already been out of use for a decade. A PHP 5.0 answer using create_function() doesn't become invalid just because PHP 5.3+ is using closures. For PHP 5.0 it is the correct answer.
  - gibolt 6y ago
    This is the reason I'm not suggesting to edit or remove old answer, just down-rank them in results. If 99% of development uses a new standard, showing the deprecated one at the top by default on the post most developers will find via Google isn't good. Even if you add a comment or an addendum with a link, it is only a band-aid that probably half of non-senior devs will still miss, trudging down the wrong path anyway

bussierem 6y ago

As someone currently utterly suffering trying to learn Android code via docs, google, and SO posts I want you to know that I am very thankful you are doing this. The state of online help for Android is on the edge of a comic tragedy.

steve_adams_86 6y ago
I sincerely wanted to get into android development and this is why I didn’t. You’re totally right. I couldn’t tell if I was missing something. How can a major mobile platform (THE major platform?) be such a rats nest to begin developing for?
- adventured 6y ago
  > How can a major mobile platform (THE major platform?) be such a rats nest to begin developing for? The great mobile stagnation has begun. We're at least a few years into that now. The mobile market is no longer growing (and or barely growing) based on usage and unit sales. The market has largely been saturated in terms of time and devices. Even India is heavily flooded with smartphones now, and it was one of the last great potential markets. So what you have is a large group of existing developers with experience and a gradually reducing group of new inbound developers pursuing a shrinking number of free (widen open) opportunities (in jobs, in new apps that can be created, etc). It will end up mostly being a replacement system, where as developers slowly age out or leave, that's the max inbound new developers you can fit into the stagnate market (to have it be any other way, you need more growth than exists now, or is likely to exist going forward). The existing developer base largely doesn't need the Stackoverflow information updated, and the demand from new developers isn't as high as it used to be. Most platforms start to stagnate in this manner after they pass their peak / prime days. Mobile is aging as a thing, in other words, and you're starting to see that show up in such ways as rotting Stackoverflow info.
  - jagannathtech 6y ago
    What is the next big thing?

tedmiston 6y ago

There is an editor permission for this use case so that users besides the author can make updates to keep a popular answer up-to-date.