I really love stackoverflow. It brings developers, good ones, together. And because of the community active there, many questions I had where answered.
However, I dare to say half of my questions where answered by not posting any question…
The reason why? Its simple. In order to get the answer you seek, you need to specify the problem precisely. Just posting “it does not work” with some vague description is not enough. It really helps to tell how you stepped through the problem, post snippets of code and so forth. If you are able to specify your problem like that, chances are high (at least with me) that the solution comes along with it. A so called “aha” moment. To me it is like Rubber Ducking. By the time you are half-way through writing down the exact problem you probably figured out the problem yourself.
The good news:
- You probably found 9 out of 10 ‘doh ofcourse its so obvious’ issues. Preventing you to post ‘stupid’ questions…
- You end up posting really hard questions (making you look so smart).
The better news:
- There are people out there who are even smarter than you! And make you smarter in return!
- You do not have to talk to a real rubber duck at your desk, just type your question at stackoverflow. (your co-workers will stop worrying about your mental state, talking to that duck all the time).
Its a win win win!
In other words…
[sourcecode language=”java”]
Answer answer = null;
try {
Question question = formulateQuestionPrecisely();
answer = stackOverFlowService.postQuestionAndGetAnswer(question);
} catch (AhaMomentException ame) {
// never mind, found the solution myself!
answer = ame.getAnswer();
}
[/sourcecode]
Thanks stackoverflow!
(don’t forget to credit those who give the best answers.. it’s highly appreciated)
Now I just read that posting your question, while you know the answer already, is a good thing. So the next time… consider that (but make sure your question has not been asked for already :)).