The problem with StackOverflow is that it doesn't allow discussions, and as long as that will be the case I only see it working for general, domain-agnostic questions. If you have questions about the dark corners of C++/C#/Java, or how to best apply a design pattern, then chances are SO has something for you. As we level up as developers we gravitate relatively quickly towards specific domains. And a community of domain experts will not last long if it explicitly forbids extended discussions. The best online programming communities (e.g. gamedev, ltu, ompf, and the gold standard, flipcode (r.i.p.) ) are home to domain experts who enjoy discussing, debating and basically shooting the breeze with each other. This is what ultimately makes people stick around.
> And a community of domain experts will not last long if it explicitly forbids extended discussions.
Totally agree, but this kind of interaction is explicitly what the SO team seems to be against, and for just SO itself, I agree. A legitimate justification for this is that people get into discussions which takes time away from input into the Q&A aspect of the site.
However, as you said, some problems or topics require a discussion, not singular statements upvoted or downvoted. I think SO can do just fine without discussions, but the stackexchange platform will be sorely lacking if they don't support a discussion "mode", but from what Jeff Atwood has said, at least as I interpret it, he seems to see no need for this mode at all, and thinks the stackexchange engine should eventually replace all phpBB boards out there. To me, this is insane, but this is how I interpret what he says, unless I've missed something.
