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StackOverflow has lost 77% of new questions compared to 2022. Lowest # since May 2009.
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this post was submitted on 08 Jan 2025
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Can this be explained by the fact that the Internet already has satisfactory answers to more and more questions, so there is less need to actively ask new ones?
I would imagine it’s more ChatGPT getting about as good as stackoverflow.
Couple that with the ability to ask a question without someone closing it as off topic, or a duplicate, or telling you you don’t actually need to do the thing you need to do, or bringing up the XY problem, or… well the list goes on.
ChatGPT might hallucinate sometimes but it’s nice about it and it fundamentally changes the barrier to entry to ask a question in the same way that stackoverflow once did.
Stackoverflow was a step change because it excelled at being a a great place to ask questions because they gamified people actually answering them.
ChatGPT is another step change because it makes it so you can get a similar quality answer instantly and without any of the social baggage. It also allows you to have follow-ups and get into a groove of question and answer. It’s not always right but I was pleasantly surprised using it to navigate unfamiliar libraries and apis and being able to drill down on something. Even when it got something wrong it got it right enough that I could course correct without having to argue back and forth with someone.
After many years of using SO, I've started using ChatGPT for all of my programming questions and have not looked back once. For my usual "I know X is possible, but how do I do that in Y language" questions, it's been a dream using ChatGPT.