# Stackoverflow is a readonly database for missing docs
I've successfully used StackOverflow since the year it came out. But 99% of the time, using it just meant googling a question about a language or API, and finding a question on SO that answers it. In this way, SO is a read-only database of documentation for langs and frameworks. It fills in the gap their lacking docs leave.
But the few times I've tried to post questions here, they were downvoted to oblivion. And this isn't recent. It was the same back in the early 2010s too.
"You probably just asked low quality questions." No. They were thoughtfully worded, had minimum reproducable sample code when applicable, got straight to the point, and were directed and specific.
And it's not just me. I've seen countless questions on here that were the same questions I had, posted in a high quality way, and they also had 0 points, stupid no-effort-didnt-read-the-question comments, and 0 answers. It's a general problem.
I shouldn't quite be surprised. When I think about it, it makes sense: I've almost never upvoted a question or answer that I found helpful or relevant. Where are these upvotes coming from, when you have 957 upvotes on a question, or 34 points on an answer? Two groups:
- generous people at work or school who found it useful, and
- people who weren't looking, didn't need it, and were just there
The second group are the ones who I think downvoted my questions. (I haven't asked one in like a month, so this isn't a recent issue, and I'm not upset about it.) I think so because it happened so shortly after I posted my question. My questions are rarely about brand new tech, so it's not like they're flocking to google -> SO because of lacking docs. Which means they were just browsing SO and stumbled on my question. And for whatever reason, they decided it was terrible and needed to go down to 0 points.
It got to a point where all my very good questions, which I put lots of work into, got 0 points and no answers, and I stopped trusting SO and realized it's not worth asking anything here. It is still useful, though. I still come here from Google whenever I have a question that Zig's docs don't answer, or that MDN doesn't explain clearly about WebGL2, or whatever. But only to see if anyone else answered it.
Overall, this is a good thing. A long time ago, I learned to not wait for anyone else or rely on help to get stuff done. I learned how to dig as deep as possible into a problem and solve it on my own, or else move on to a backup solution. I learned how to stop waiting for things to be perfect and docs to be clear. I learned how to skim docs and SO answers very efficiently and effectively. I am a much better coder for it.
Dont' get me wrong. There's still a place for SO. It's still useful as filled-in-missing-docs for frameworks and libraries and languages.
But the entrepreneur in me wonders if this means a new product needs to emerge, one that helps software authors to organize and fill in their docs, with the help of the community, exactly like what SO currently does, just within the software's own docs website. Maybe SO served its purpose. Maybe it's on its way out.