The idea of SO is a little awkward too I think. With something like Wikipedia we’re presumably in an academic mindset. Carefully gathering information, sources, structuring it all. And even then people can get turned off by the ‘bureaucracy’ or nitpicking or whatever.
When people show up at SO they’re probably more in a “I can’t figure this damn thing out!” mode. We’re struggling with a problem, keeping a bunch of junk in our head, patience being tested, but we’re still expected to have a bit of academic rigor in our question and discourse.
Because the people who are answering questions there are doing it for that ideal of having a knowledge repository. No one is helping you because they think you and your specific problem are so important to demand their time. Especially with very tricky errors.
Not SO or it’s methods, I mean the human experience. It can be awkward to be new to it all and to feel the frustration/tunnel vision associated with being stuck on one problem… and then step back and have to dissect your issue, structure your question correctly, etc.
It’s just how it is, for exactly the reasons you stated. You can capture every little problem people face in programming, or you can hone in on useful patterns in goals, problems, and solutions, and educate people on how to see these things.
I’m not saying you’re wrong, I’m just saying it’s not the friendliest way to enthuse beginners to this way of working.
I get it’s frustrating, but when you’re asking your first question ever, it feels like paying for everyone else. xD
The idea of SO is a little awkward too I think. With something like Wikipedia we’re presumably in an academic mindset. Carefully gathering information, sources, structuring it all. And even then people can get turned off by the ‘bureaucracy’ or nitpicking or whatever.
When people show up at SO they’re probably more in a “I can’t figure this damn thing out!” mode. We’re struggling with a problem, keeping a bunch of junk in our head, patience being tested, but we’re still expected to have a bit of academic rigor in our question and discourse.
I don’t think it’s awkward, it’s kinda necessary.
Because the people who are answering questions there are doing it for that ideal of having a knowledge repository. No one is helping you because they think you and your specific problem are so important to demand their time. Especially with very tricky errors.
Not SO or it’s methods, I mean the human experience. It can be awkward to be new to it all and to feel the frustration/tunnel vision associated with being stuck on one problem… and then step back and have to dissect your issue, structure your question correctly, etc.
It’s just how it is, for exactly the reasons you stated. You can capture every little problem people face in programming, or you can hone in on useful patterns in goals, problems, and solutions, and educate people on how to see these things.