On Stack Overflow's 10th anniversary, Jeff Atwood reflects on the platform's identity and future challenges. He argues that Stack Overflow is fundamentally a wiki for programmers rather than a discussion forum, meaning questions and answers are judged by their utility to future readers, not just the original asker. The duplicate question problem grows exponentially worse as the site scales, making it increasingly difficult for new questions to find a unique niche. The competitive peer review system, while motivating for professionals, creates anxiety that may alienate beginners and students. Atwood suggests the site may need beginner-friendly alternatives with more lenient rules, while acknowledging that Stack Overflow was deliberately designed for practicing programmers, not learners.
Oct 22, 2018 Communities & Stack OverflowSoftware Engineering