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Comment by kristoff_it | Hacker News Reader

Discord is just one of many places where you can get help from other Zig community members.

Over time I've seen plenty of comments like this one about platform A vs platform B and I find them all absolutely uninteresting. Having an active Discord server doesn't stop you from having active communities elsewhere.

Some people prefer Discord and they made a comfortable home for themselves. If you prefer a different platform (which could be a matter of personal preference or an objective advantage, it really doesn't matter which it is), then go make yourself a comfortable home there and start offering help to others on it.

If you're a newcomer and can't really offer much help, then you're asking for people who do have that knowledge to help you on a platform of your choice. That's certainly something you can wish for, but you can't demand it, regardless of how much objectively better your platform might be.

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> Having an active Discord server doesn't stop you from having active communities elsewhere.

It actually does when users are pointed to discord to ask the same questions over and over.

Look at the two example questions in OP's quote. Sending users to discord for those means nearly nobody else will benefit from the answers.

And I think it's fair to point this out.

1. Questions and answers on Discord are searchable, there's a channel format that makes every conversation a thread and the UI even automatically searches for matches as you type the title of a new thread, which is what the Zig Discord server uses. It's correct to say that Discord answers will not be searchable outside of Discord, but it's factually wrong to say that you won't be able to very easily find out if your question has been asked already.

2. OP is not sending anybody anywhere, they're just talking about their experience. Zig has multiple communities and you can get help also elsewhere. A blog post that recounts one's experience doesn't need to list all other ways of getting help and it's wrong for you to assume otherwise.

> it's factually wrong to say that you won't be able to very easily find out if your question has been asked already

IME discord's search is terrible. When I try to find previous questions it seems like it uses a naive exact word search, so if I change my keywords slightly it finds different results. I haven't tried Zig's channel so maybe they do it better. But in general, I stand by my comment.

> OP is not sending anybody anywhere, they're just talking about their experience

The quote was clearly recommending the Zig Discord channel as a place for anyone learning Zig to go and ask questions. This is "sending people there".

> 1. Questions and answers on Discord are searchable, there's a channel format that makes every conversation a thread and the UI even automatically searches for matches as you type the title of a new thread, which is what the Zig Discord server uses. It's correct to say that Discord answers will not be searchable outside of Discord, but it's factually wrong to say that you won't be able to very easily find out if your question has been asked already.

The built-in search software for a lot of forums is for lack of a better term, abysmal.

Consider this search on SO - user:172406 javascript userscript

consider the same search on google - vfclists javascript userscript.

It is the first answer on the list and note that I didn't add "stackoverflow" to the query.

Discord will arbitrarily ban users for using a VPN making it next impossible to access prior conversations on given topics where support takes anywhere from a week to two months to review tickets related to it (they then go "whoops" and lift the ban only to apply it again days later).

Not being searchable outside of Discord is the problem (matrix / telegram also suffer from this) as it places useful Q&A and discussion behind a wall.

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