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0 pointsarp2424y ago0 comments

> If anything else, Microsoft has left Github untouched so far.

Actually, I think it has gotten better. I don't like the consolidation of independents like GitHub to big corporations like Microsoft, but I can't deny that thus far, it actually worked out pretty well.

Stack Overflow is a difficult company/website to manage though; it's not "just a website with a SaaS product" and really requires a good understanding of the social dynamics and such to run well, much more than e.g. GitHub.

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systemvoltage4y ago

That's a good point. I wonder why SO is so political? As an outsider it is just like a bunch of people asking questions and getting answers.

arp242OP4y ago

What do you mean with "so political"?

The hard part is getting the social dynamics right. Askers want to ask any question, answerers want to answer interesting questions. Keeping both groups happy is a hard task.

People complain about questions being closed (technically: "on hold") and marked as duplicated, but it serves a real purpose as no one wants to answer the same question over and over again. How you do it matters a lot though.

I have a number of gripes with Stack Overflow, and there are quite a few things I would do different. But I see a lot of people complaining about it who probably don't realize just how hard of a problem it is.

b3morales4y ago

And this is complicated even more by all the "soft" topic sites, each of which has its own culture.

stjohnswarts4y ago

It's just a very rigid structure, you have to put your square block in their square hole or you will be ripped a new one and tossed when asking a question. Also mods need to be in a good mood that day.

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