this post was submitted on 10 Jul 2023
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StackOverflow is good for:
general questions (when you don't know where to look for) eg. how do I go about ...?
specific questions (when you know what you want, in simple english) eg. suggest ways I can ...?
quick fixes with more than one suggestion eg. I get this error, how to fix and please explain.
understanding concepts as different people explain concepts differently eg. what is ...?
Documentation is good for:
details (when you need to know more and when you really know what you need)
features (find a list when you want to know what else you can do with it)
Another thing stackoverflow is good for is if you're like 14, don't really know programming that well and can't quite comprehend what you're doing but know how to copy and paste code then fidget around with it until your ide stops complaining and it compiles and all works together.
I'm offended you think I'm 14
Stack Overflow refuses to provide answers for:
Specific questions and quick fixes are the faster changing kind of knowledge you can have. And Stack Overflow consistently refuses to update old knowledge.
So, in practice, it's good for:
...
But anyway, some ecosystems documentation are worse, so SO wins.
Also SO might mention the documentation is wrong and this is what API XYZ really does.