|
You've never had any issue? Well you clearly have not used it enough then. Pandu's mentioned problem is very real, but is compounded by the oligarchic design of the site. The authors and moderators argue that it helps to keep the content "pure" and reduces the garbage content, but it's an outdated very unfriendly methodology that punishes naive users who don't deserve to be punished, and in many cases prevents useful knowledge from being captured just because it doesn't meet the overlords' idealistic view of what the site should be.
You can't change a vote after you've voted. You can't edit your own comment after 5 minutes. You can't delete a question if it has answers. Rules like this hurt the quality of a crowdsourced website, they don't improve it.
Stack Overflow is an incredibly valuable resource. But it's valuable despite its horribly restrictive and big brotherish design, not because of it.
Sad but true: 4/3 of Americans have difficulty with simple fractions.
There are 10 types of people in this world: those who understand binary and those who don't.
{o,o}.oO( Check out my blog! )
|)””’) http://pihole.org/
-”-”-
|
|
|
|
|
I have used it quite a bit. I have 3500 rep, have answered 195 questions and asked 65 of my own. I have been downvoted before, a few times rightfully so, a few times without explanation. As with any community there are bad apples who will downvote someone for no real reason, and there are others who, due to the lack of tone on the internet perceive an incorrect tone in a post and downvote for that. I will admit that there is an English bias on the site and non-native speakers who do not make themselves clearly understood have a hard time, and are unfortunately downvoted because of it. I will also admit that I have seen some downvoting issues that were unwarranted, and they were dealt with through reversion.
Most of the cases of downvote oblivion that I have seen were from people posting a simple explanation of a problem with no background, no code, no evidence that they have done anything to solve it themselves and then they demand answers.
My first question, when I had no rep, got downvoted, I used the experience to better my question and I received a thoughtful and educational answer because of it, and an upvote which made a bit of an improvement (downvotes cost 2 rep, upvotes give 10 rep IIRC). The site has worked wonderfully for me.
Now, my question is, any of you who say the site sucks, have you gone on Meta-Stackoverflow and voiced your concerns? What was the outcome? While I am not personal friends with the moderators of either site, they have listened to my concerns in the past and I am not a power-user or top contributor.
The above is not meant to put you on the defensive. I am not attacking you. I genuinely want to know, because I frequent the site, and want to know specifics in an effort to make it better.
Lastly, you can change a vote. I have done it myself not two minutes ago (as a test). Questions with answers can be deleted but the deletion has to be voted on. And I don't see how not being able to edit a comment detracts from the quality of the site. It keeps people accountable for what they say to a certain degree. 5 minutes is enough time to read 500 characters to ensure that it was punctuated and spelled correctly and is grammatically correct, and after that if you called someone a jackass it's there and can't be taken back.
|
|
|
|
|
Well, there are experts there. The hard thing is getting them to answer your questions. Basically they're a QA site that hates questions and the people who ask them. Their anti-OP mentality is copied straight from 4chan, or worse - on 4chan OP is a faggot and should kill himself, but on SO OP is an idiot for even having a question in the first place and doubly so far daring to ask it.
I have over 10k rep there but I haven't asked a question in a long time. Too dangerous.
|
|
|
|
|
And it's even worse if you answer them.
Correct or contradict one of the "top dogs" and you get downvoted, your answer disappears, and the original post magically changes to include yours! Amazing - but not friendly.
Mind you, if I get many more comparisons with Chuck Norris I may have to move over there out of sheer embarrassment... 
You looking for sympathy?
You'll find it in the dictionary, between sympathomimetic and sympatric
(Page 1788, if it helps)
|
|
|
|
|
So pick another person to continue the Chuck Norris theme. May I suggest Marc Clifton?
|
|
|
|
|
or Maxx?
Don't mind those people who say you're not HOT. At least you know you're COOL.
I'm not afraid of falling, I'm afraid of the sudden stop at the end of the fall! - Richard Andrew x64
|
|
|
|
|
PooperPig - Coming Soon
|
|
|
|
|
How about Luc?
A Coding God if ever I saw one.
You looking for sympathy?
You'll find it in the dictionary, between sympathomimetic and sympatric
(Page 1788, if it helps)
|
|
|
|
|
or Kent Sharkey?
he had good one-liners. 
Don't mind those people who say you're not HOT. At least you know you're COOL.
I'm not afraid of falling, I'm afraid of the sudden stop at the end of the fall! - Richard Andrew x64
|
|
|
|
|
Exactly, I totally agree with you. SO only allows perfect answers. Anything that has even a partial problem, like I was to write document.write("Ok!") people would downvote, why are you writing this to the entire document? Just write it in the required element. Even I was just trying to help, I get more than 5 downvotes! -_- You serious? 
Favourite line: Throw me to them wolves and close the gate up. I am afraid of what will happen to them wolves - Eminem
~! Firewall !~
|
|
|
|
|
I never tried SO. They discriminate newbies, so I have a feeling that they will discriminate women more. 
Don't mind those people who say you're not HOT. At least you know you're COOL.
I'm not afraid of falling, I'm afraid of the sudden stop at the end of the fall! - Richard Andrew x64
|
|
|
|
|
I wouldn't say they were sexist.
Rude, arrogate, and elitist, yes. But I've never seen them discriminate against women specifically. They are probably too busy discriminating against everybody else...
You looking for sympathy?
You'll find it in the dictionary, between sympathomimetic and sympatric
(Page 1788, if it helps)
|
|
|
|
|
That's just women's instincts.
Don't mind those people who say you're not HOT. At least you know you're COOL.
I'm not afraid of falling, I'm afraid of the sudden stop at the end of the fall! - Richard Andrew x64
|
|
|
|
|
Now who's being sexist?
You looking for sympathy?
You'll find it in the dictionary, between sympathomimetic and sympatric
(Page 1788, if it helps)
|
|
|
|
|
Not me. And I can't be wrong.
Don't mind those people who say you're not HOT. At least you know you're COOL.
I'm not afraid of falling, I'm afraid of the sudden stop at the end of the fall! - Richard Andrew x64
|
|
|
|
|
No, no - definitely not. I never argue with ladies for just that reason... 
You looking for sympathy?
You'll find it in the dictionary, between sympathomimetic and sympatric
(Page 1788, if it helps)
|
|
|
|
|
So in what reason did you engage in an argument with ladies?
Don't mind those people who say you're not HOT. At least you know you're COOL.
I'm not afraid of falling, I'm afraid of the sudden stop at the end of the fall! - Richard Andrew x64
|
|
|
|
|
When clinically insane by reasons of Drink or Drugs.
The rest of the time I know I'm going to lose whatever I do or say!
You looking for sympathy?
You'll find it in the dictionary, between sympathomimetic and sympatric
(Page 1788, if it helps)
|
|
|
|
|
I can't agree with you more!
Even me, I never won in an argument with my mom.
Don't mind those people who say you're not HOT. At least you know you're COOL.
I'm not afraid of falling, I'm afraid of the sudden stop at the end of the fall! - Richard Andrew x64
|
|
|
|
|
Nobody ever won an argument with my mum!
Even though she stopped being a probation officer 20 years ago, her previous clients still jump when they hear her name!
She once had a newspaper journalist arrested, held in the cells overnight, and taken to court the next morning just so he could see what it was like. Needless to say, he only found out it wasn't real after the case and sentence...
You looking for sympathy?
You'll find it in the dictionary, between sympathomimetic and sympatric
(Page 1788, if it helps)
|
|
|
|
|
OriginalGriff wrote: She once had a newspaper journalist arrested, held in the cells overnight, and taken to court the next morning just so he could see what it was like. Needless to say, he only found out it wasn't real after the case and sentence...
Good way to learn a lesson. And scary, too.
Good thing your mum hadn't been here.
Don't mind those people who say you're not HOT. At least you know you're COOL.
I'm not afraid of falling, I'm afraid of the sudden stop at the end of the fall! - Richard Andrew x64
|
|
|
|
|
OriginalGriff wrote: She once had a newspaper journalist arrested, held in the cells overnight, and taken to court the next morning just so he could see what it was like
I hope she went out and did a few bank jobs, just so she could see what it was like
PooperPig - Coming Soon
|
|
|
|
|
If she did, I never saw any of the proceeds!
You looking for sympathy?
You'll find it in the dictionary, between sympathomimetic and sympatric
(Page 1788, if it helps)
|
|
|
|
|
Hmmm...could it be...Chick Norris
Soren Madsen
"When you don't know what you're doing it's best to do it quickly" - Jase #DuckDynasty
|
|
|
|
|
Makes me wonder if we shouldn't redefine true intelligence in a computer to the ability to win an argument against women. 
GOTOs are a bit like wire coat hangers: they tend to breed in the darkness, such that where there once were few, eventually there are many, and the program's architecture collapses beneath them. (Fran Poretto)
|
|
|
|
General 
News 
Suggestion 
Question 
Bug 
Answer 
Joke 
Praise 
Rant 
Admin 
Submit an article or tip
