Re:Software Developers after 40, 50 and 60 Who're Still Coding
by coldtea on Monday April 24, 2017 @03:55PM
(#14187579)
>I don't understand how someone can "have enough experience and knowledge to not need the site".
If you've been programming for a couple of decades and you don't follow the trends du jour it's actually quite easy (note: I'm not at that level myself).
Seasoned C and C++ programmers, for example, don't have much to learn from Stack Overflow in the same way a (1) new programmer, (2) 0-20 years programmer who constantly juggles languages, APIs and frameworks etc depending on the job and the fads of the season.
You think someone like Linus checks SO to get his answers?
There are tons of programmers with such levels of experience (even if somewhat less so than Linus).
Let's put it another way: before 2008 NO programmer checked "Stack Overflow" all the time. Before 2000 they didn't even have Google, and before 1995 or so they didn't have much (if anything) in the way of online documentation and similar resources.
That's not ancient history: a 20 year-ish programmer has managed for 10+ years of their career without Stack Overflow.
If you've been programming for a couple of decades and you don't follow the trends du jour it's actually quite easy (note: I'm not at that level myself).
Seasoned C and C++ programmers, for example, don't have much to learn from Stack Overflow in the same way a (1) new programmer, (2) 0-20 years programmer who constantly juggles languages, APIs and frameworks etc depending on the job and the fads of the season.
You think someone like Linus checks SO to get his answers?
There are tons of programmers with such levels of experience (even if somewhat less so than Linus).
Let's put it another way: before 2008 NO programmer checked "Stack Overflow" all the time. Before 2000 they didn't even have Google, and before 1995 or so they didn't have much (if anything) in the way of online documentation and similar resources.
That's not ancient history: a 20 year-ish programmer has managed for 10+ years of their career without Stack Overflow.