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Comment by crispyambulance | Hacker News Reader

    > the point of SO being a canonical source for generalized questions relating to CS/programming.

NO.

The point of SO is NOT to be a "canonical source for generalized questions [and answers] relating to CS/Programming".

In fact, if you ask a "generalized question" it will be smacked down as "too broad". If you ask a CS question, it will be downvoted as off-topic.

SO is a place to ask certain kinds of very specific and answerable questions. Anything outside of that narrow band (hell, even most stuff that's perfect appropriate) gets smugly dismissed by petty assholes.

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> Anything outside of that narrow band (hell, even most stuff that's perfect appropriate) gets smugly dismissed by petty assholes.

The petty assholes who spend hours of their time tediously cultivating one of the world's most useful resources? Those petty assholes?

Honestly reading that I'm picturing Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons as a StackOverflow moderator and the personality type slots in so perfectly. Yes, those petty assholes.

I don't think what I said came across correctly. Of course overly broad questions will get downvoted. What I meant was, "questions that will likely benefit another person in the community". I.e. there is a sweet spot in terms of specificity. Asking for help about a very specific problem with a homework assignment or asking for advice about what class to take next are too specific and more than likely won't benefit anyone else.

Regarding your point about CS, I meant something like "within the broad range of questions related to practical computer science, specifically programming." Yes, I know there's another Exchange site for more theoretical Computer Science topics, where some questions might be more appropriate...

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