Author’s note: I held this post back for a couple of weeks after some excellent subject-adjacent articles from @ingosteinke and @dannwaneri. I am publishing it now as a complementary perspective - hopefully a helpful one.
We've all been there - frantically searching Stack Overflow for that one solution, only to find the same question answered a dozen times, sometimes with cryptic or harsh comments. Stack Overflow has been a lifesaver for years, but let's be honest: it's not always the friendliest place to ask questions.
Lately, I've noticed more developers turning to other communities, like DEV, Hashnode, or smaller coding groups. These spaces feel more like talking to real people who get it - where you can ask questions, share your projects, and actually have a conversation.
There's data backing this shift too. Stack Overflow's own annual developer surveys have shown a steady drop in question engagement in recent years, while more developers report relying on AI tools like ChatGPT for quick answers instead of posting questions. As instant, conversational help becomes the norm, traditional Q&A formats seem to be losing some of their pull.
In hindsight, it feels like Stack Overflow may have missed an opportunity to evolve alongside this shift. Instead of leaning harder into moderation and rigid Q&A formats, it could have experimented more with conversational answers, beginner-friendly spaces, or even first-class AI assistance that still rewarded human expertise. The knowledge is there - the challenge has always been making the platform feel welcoming and adaptable to the people trying to contribute it.
So here's the real question: do we need to replace Stack Overflow, or just expand the way we look for answers? Maybe the future of dev Q&A isn't one site, but a mix of communities that actually feel alive.
What about you - still loyal to Stack Overflow, or exploring new spaces?
Top comments (96)
Essentially you say "couldn't Stackoverflow have evolved away from its current Q&A format to something resembling other sites or communities" - but then it would lose its unique character, which is its Q&A format - what would be the point then of having Stackoverflow at all, if it's becoming a clone of other forums/communities? It would be self-defeating ...
I think it's still valuable, even when it's getting "smaller", and I think it shouldn't drift away too far from what it currently is, or else we risk losing something unique which other sites/communities don't have ...
Dev.to forever, Wikipedia forever, Stackoverflow forever!
P.S. the whole alleged "gatekeeper" thing on Stackoverflow is something which doesn't really resonate with me TBH - it's not something which I've ever witnessed to that notably an extent ...
I agree that the Q&A format made StackOverflow special and the conversational form isn't new either. I felt the gatekeeping, sometimes when asking questions but also when trying to answer or comment a question that got downvoted and closed without making an effort to see and crystallise its value. I also saw and see loads of lazy low value questions by people who obviously never read "how to ask" or checked the preview to realize their screenshots don't show.
StackOverflow's official management desperately launches one experiment after another, adding AI and allowing opinionated best practice questions, long-standing reputable community members oppose their Verschlimmbesserung while many users have already turned their back for various reasons. Like with Wikipedia, the read-only-users just switched their channels from defunct search engine results to verbose AI chatter, but AI still relies on sites like WIkipedia and StackOverflow as sources.
I agree, Ingo. I don’t feel qualified to comment in depth on the voting system, but it does seem like a double-edged sword. While it was likely essential in Stack Overflow’s early days for building its reputation, I also think that having long-serving members on a moderation team can introduce its own challenges.
I must admit, I wasn’t aware that official management had launched experiment after experiment—perhaps too little, too late. In short, your reply has proven to be extremely insightful, and I thank you for it. Plenty of food for thought.
Wikipedia Must Never Die - regarding Stackoverflow, its demise would be a pity, but life goes on ...
P.S. "Verschlimmbesserung" - love that ...
Thanks for taking the time to share your perspective on this, leob. I really appreciate it, especially coming from someone whose views I respect.
You're right - Stack Overflow remains an incredibly valuable resource. My piece is more of a reflection on some "what if" scenarios I’ve come across online than a serious proposal to upend the site.
The gatekeeping aspect is interesting - some people experience it, some don’t. I wonder if part of it comes down to long-serving moderators. Moderation burn-out is certainly a real factor, even if it’s not always visible.
Thanks again for sharing your thoughts - it’s always great to see a different point-of-view.
Thanks! Yeah I would regret it if it would drift away too far from its origins, in an attempt to "stay current" - they might be throwing away the baby with the bathwater in doing that ...
I think it's still valuable, even when it's not as big as it was!
perfect complement to what we're building.
your question: "do we need to replace or expand?"
answer: both
federated infrastructure lets communities experiment with moderation, UX, culture while staying discoverable.
some instances: strict (enterprise)
some: welcoming (beginners)
some: niche-focused (rust, cloudflare)
no single site dictates culture.
the foundation enables this:
dev.to/the-foundation/i-built-federated-ai-knowledge-commons-heres-how-56oj
"the future isn't one site, but a mix of communities that feel alive"
exactly right. appreciate you framing why this matters.
Thanks for highlighting what you’re building through The Foundation, Daniel.
As you know, this piece was almost complete when you shared your take on the situation, and I wanted to give your content - and similar posts that followed - room to breathe before publishing.
And I think you’re right: the real answer lies in open, accessible information shared in a federated manner - no single source, no risk of loss.
Thanks for the mention! I'm kind of loyal if that's the right word, but more in the sense of better support the lesser evil before there is nothing like that left at all. Concerning exploring new spaces, most new spaces get disappointing sooner or later, except for this site.
Yeah, I think you’re right. On the subject of other spaces, I mentioned in an earlier comment on another post that I bounced off Hashnode in a New York minute a couple of years back. It can be surprisingly difficult to find a place to talk with like-minded folks that doesn’t end up suffering in one way, shape, or form.
I'm not sure Stack Overflow worked great even when it was the place for tech answers. Their core vision is admirable. Being able to look up canonical answers to tech questions and not having to wade through comments like "👆 This" or barely related arguments is something we all want. But tech moves at a breakneck speed. Versions change. Patterns change. You end up with with as many taggable "languages" are there are language versions. I think their model was never really a good representation of problem-space they were modelling.
I do think we've lost something though. I got shredded on SO a couple of times when I was a college student. It made me ask better questions. It made me RTFM.
The tone of SO is "senior dev annoyed at the junior that asks too many questions" and here in the age of sycophantic AI and remote working, I can't help but think maybe we need a little bit of that somewhere in the dev journey.
Thanks for your input, Peter. I agree, I think that the "gatekeeping" or otherwise that was required when Stack Overflow started should have been adjusted as the site grew.
I think that's what I mean when I mentioned elsewhere in these replies that it would have been nice if they had introduced a newcomer-friendly area. They have probably left it too late to change now, however.
I'm not sure on the solution to that particular problem, but ring-fencing new players in a game generally doesn't work out. Not sure how it would play out on a Q&A like SO so I won't pretend to.
To me, it always seemed like the ideal of "1 canonical answer" is simply incompatible with a domain where "it depends" is the answer in 99% of situations. The ideal they strive towards is a bad fit for the domain they are applying it to.
I'm commenting on SO specifically. It works very well (and is less gate-keepery) for some of the Stack Exchange sites.
I hear you - ring-fencing new players rarely works, whether in games or in communities. I think that’s part of the challenge Stack Overflow faces: trying to enforce the “1 canonical answer” model in a domain where context and nuance dominate.
You’re right that for some Stack Exchange sites, the model works well, but SO’s scale and diversity make it much harder to maintain without discouraging participation. It seems like the platform is struggling to balance quality control with accessibility, and that tension is only becoming more apparent in the age of AI and alternative communities.
I should also point out that this post has evolved into more of a companion piece to content from others a couple of weeks ago. Members such as @dannwaneri have not only discussed this topic far more thoroughly than I have, but have also produced a possible solution worth exploring.
The irony is that SO's biggest strength — the strict moderation that kept answer quality high — is the same thing that drove people away. I've had questions closed as "duplicate" when the linked "duplicate" was about a completely different version of the library. Try explaining that to an automated system.
What bugs me most is how much institutional knowledge is locked up in SO answers that are slowly rotting. Answers from 2015 still rank #1 on Google for some queries, with outdated jQuery solutions for problems that have native browser API answers now. And the original answerers moved on years ago.
I don't think any single platform replaces it though. These days my workflow is: ask the AI first for a quick answer, then verify against docs or SO if it seems off. SO is basically my fact-checker now instead of my first stop. Funny how that shifted.
Yeah, Kai, it's a common take - the almost elitist behaviour. Others haven't seen it but I think it's fair to say it has happened enough for Stack Overflow to have that reputation.
No, you're right, it has to be series of platforms and communities - if anything at all. People like @dannwaneri are trying to start that very fire underneath us. Fingers crossed!
in Stack Overflow users (expecially users with more mod-powers than others) pay too much attention to the aesthetics of the writing, rather than to the human side... and Im someone who cant stand haphazardly written sentences and emojis-spams (so to speak), Im also annoyed by the widespread functional-illiteracy in Italian (my first language)
⚠️ links in this comment are only for who want explore the off-topic argue
I remember Stackoverflow, but there were often arrogant people there. They acted superior and if someone wrote something incorrectly they would immediately get hostile or complain instead of helping.
I think some developers share this experience, while others don’t. It happened frequently enough that Stack Overflow developed that reputation. A shift to a wiki-style format probably wouldn’t have solved the issue, but creating a more newcomer-friendly space could have been a positive step.
Yes, but now is doesnt matter.
Sad but true. Sad but true.
Richard, I've been thinking about this too. It's hard not to wonder if we've outgrown the way Stack Overflow presents information. Those conversational answers and beginner spaces you mentioned feel like a natural fit for how people learn and understand code now.
Indeed, Aryan. I wanted the piece to convey that I feel Stack Overflow could have created a dedicated newcomers’ area - even if the answers there didn’t feed into the main knowledge base.
As a beginner, I totally feel this! 😅
I remember asking my first question on Stack Overflow and getting downvoted without any explanation. It really discouraged me from asking questions for weeks.
But at the same time, I've found solutions to almost every problem there. It's like Stack Overflow giveth and Stack Overflow taketh away 😂
Great discussion topic! How do you think we can make it more beginner-friendly?
My main idea was a beginner-friendly section - even if that meant keeping it separate from the main knowledge base, so as not to "poison the well" as it were. Something more approachable and welcoming, basically.
Thank you for sharing your idea! 😊
I really understand your approach — having a separate, welcoming section for beginners makes a lot of sense, and it ensures that the main knowledge base remains unaffected.
This will make the platform much more approachable and easier for new users.
If you’d like, I can also suggest some ideas and structure for this beginner-friendly section.
Of course, Harsh. Fire away!
Sure! Here are a few ideas for the beginner-friendly section:
Step-by-step tutorials to build knowledge gradually
Common mistakes & tips to avoid them
Simple glossary for technical terms
Interactive examples or mini exercises
Quick FAQ for beginners
This should keep it approachable and welcoming without overwhelming new users.
There are some really solid ideas in here, Harsh. Thanks for sharing. If only Stack Overflow would take at least some of them onboard! Still, thanks again!
Sure! Yahaan ek friendly aur appreciative English reply ka example hai jo tum bhej sakte ho:
Thanks! I really appreciate it. 😊
I wish platforms like Stack Overflow would take some of these ideas on board too, but it’s great to know the suggestions are valued.
I never really got deep into the StackOverFlow community, but I did heard about the toxicity that takes place. It reminded me of this video that uncovers the toxic place in that community here: youtube.com/watch?v=N7v0yvdkIHg
I still use StackOverFlow time to time, but not as much when I was an undergrad. I am more towards GPT and being in this community because at least everyone here is nice and provide good feedback.
Great post once again!
Yeah, I probably didn’t use it as much as I could have. I mostly searched the knowledge base instead of asking actual questions. Thanks for the video link - I’ll check it out over breakfast!
Hopefully, the initiative @dannwaneri has created with The Foundation gets enough exposure to federate and become another great source of information.
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