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Seriously. The best case scenario when I google an error is that a Stack Overflow link pops up. I wasn't big into coding when Experts Exchange was consistently

by danneu 15y ago

Seriously. The best case scenario when I google an error is that a Stack Overflow link pops up. I wasn't big into coding when Experts Exchange was consistently #1, but I somehow stumbled into it regardless. I also can't stand mailing lists. Anyone involved in Stack Overflow should rest assured that they made the world a better place for a lot of people.

jtchang 15y ago
The worse case scenario is when you see an experts exchange link. That's when I truly cringe and brace myself for the popups.
- eru 15y ago
  You should get an adblocker and popup blocker. Unless that was hyperbole.
  - gravitronic 15y ago
    Have you ever visited expert's exchange? It's like the predecessor to StackExchange but you had to pay to get answers. Not even an adblocker and popup blocker would solve that problem.
    - bryanlarsen 15y ago
      For the last few years now you can just scrawl to the bottom to read the answer. They had to put that in otherwise Google wouldn't index them.
      - Spoom 15y ago
        Yes, but only if your referer indicates that you're coming from Google, otherwise you only get the offer to buy the answer, with no indication that it's available for free. Slimy. This is why I avoid ever linking to them, because anyone who is unfortunate enough to follow a link to EE gets a question with no answers.
        bryanlarsen 15y ago
        Scrolling to the bottom works from anywhere and has for many years. There was a short period of time where it only worked from Google, until Google nailed them for that.
ams6110 15y ago
A good mailing list can still be better than SO for niche subjects. Not saying that to take anything away from SO, it's just that it seems to work best with lots of participants.
- billybob 15y ago
  While that's true, if I have to resort to a mailing list for an answer, I'm almost certain to later ask the question on a StackExchange site and answer it myself. It feels wonderful to take some information which it cost me days to find out and make it the first hit on Google, with the right answer clearly marked. Even when mailing lists are indexed on the web, they are never as easy to find and visually scan as a SO thread.
anildash 15y ago
I'm on the board of Stack Exchange, and I can attest -- not just Jeff, but Joel (Jeff's cofounder & CEO) and everyone on the team care profoundly about the web and ther responsibility to the community. Not a single conversation, from the Meta conversations on the site to the planning decisions on the board, happen without a reiteration, either implicitly or explicitly, of that goal of trying to make the web better. I'm incredibly proud of that ethos and of the values that Jeff's post also makes clear, and delighted it's obvious to folks who are (as I am sometimes) just interacting with the site as a coder who has a problem to solve.

by danneu 15y ago

jtchang 15y ago

The worse case scenario is when you see an experts exchange link. That's when I truly cringe and brace myself for the popups.

eru 15y ago
You should get an adblocker and popup blocker. Unless that was hyperbole.
- gravitronic 15y ago
  Have you ever visited expert's exchange? It's like the predecessor to StackExchange but you had to pay to get answers. Not even an adblocker and popup blocker would solve that problem.
  - bryanlarsen 15y ago
    For the last few years now you can just scrawl to the bottom to read the answer. They had to put that in otherwise Google wouldn't index them.
    - Spoom 15y ago
      Yes, but only if your referer indicates that you're coming from Google, otherwise you only get the offer to buy the answer, with no indication that it's available for free. Slimy. This is why I avoid ever linking to them, because anyone who is unfortunate enough to follow a link to EE gets a question with no answers.
      - bryanlarsen 15y ago
        Scrolling to the bottom works from anywhere and has for many years. There was a short period of time where it only worked from Google, until Google nailed them for that.

ams6110 15y ago

A good mailing list can still be better than SO for niche subjects. Not saying that to take anything away from SO, it's just that it seems to work best with lots of participants.

billybob 15y ago
While that's true, if I have to resort to a mailing list for an answer, I'm almost certain to later ask the question on a StackExchange site and answer it myself. It feels wonderful to take some information which it cost me days to find out and make it the first hit on Google, with the right answer clearly marked. Even when mailing lists are indexed on the web, they are never as easy to find and visually scan as a SO thread.

anildash 15y ago

I'm on the board of Stack Exchange, and I can attest -- not just Jeff, but Joel (Jeff's cofounder & CEO) and everyone on the team care profoundly about the web and ther responsibility to the community. Not a single conversation, from the Meta conversations on the site to the planning decisions on the board, happen without a reiteration, either implicitly or explicitly, of that goal of trying to make the web better. I'm incredibly proud of that ethos and of the values that Jeff's post also makes clear, and delighted it's obvious to folks who are (as I am sometimes) just interacting with the site as a coder who has a problem to solve.