Episode
Jeff Atwood: Stack Overflow and Coding Horror
1:20:15
Published: Thu Nov 29 2018
Description
Jeff Atwood is a co-founder of Stack Overflow and Stack Exchange, websites that are visited by millions of people every day. Much like with Wikipedia, it is difficult to understate the impact on global knowledge and productivity that these network of sites have created. Jeff is also the author of the famed Coding Horror blog, and the founder of Discourse, and open-source software project that seeks to improve the quality of our online community discussions. Video version is available on YouTube. If you would like to get more information about this podcast go to https://lexfridman.com/ai or connect with @lexfridman on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, or YouTube where you can watch the video versions of these conversations.
Chapters
Programming often revolves around brute force problem solving, and the naive shuffle method is an example of how a simple mistake can lead to a flawed program.
00:00 - 03:37 (03:37)
Summary
Programming often revolves around brute force problem solving, and the naive shuffle method is an example of how a simple mistake can lead to a flawed program. By running the program numerous times and analyzing the data buckets, programmers can better understand and solve a problem.
EpisodeJeff Atwood: Stack Overflow and Coding Horror
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The goal of discourse is to create a space for conversation in groups that encourages communication without turning into a place of argument and noise, as the idea behind it is to promote healthy communication in groups.
03:37 - 11:27 (07:49)
Summary
The goal of discourse is to create a space for conversation in groups that encourages communication without turning into a place of argument and noise, as the idea behind it is to promote healthy communication in groups.
EpisodeJeff Atwood: Stack Overflow and Coding Horror
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The speaker discusses how their platform evolved from discussions to Q&A, and how they incorporated aspects of DIG and Reddit, including voting and editing.
11:27 - 14:10 (02:43)
Summary
The speaker discusses how their platform evolved from discussions to Q&A, and how they incorporated aspects of DIG and Reddit, including voting and editing. They also emphasize the importance of recognition from one's peers.
EpisodeJeff Atwood: Stack Overflow and Coding Horror
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The podcast covers a range of topics from cigars and playing cards to strategies for playing poker, and the concept of accidental learning or Reddit-style learning where people learn through browsing.
14:10 - 17:51 (03:40)
Summary
The podcast covers a range of topics from cigars and playing cards to strategies for playing poker, and the concept of accidental learning or Reddit-style learning where people learn through browsing. They differentiate this from intentional learning where one deliberately studies a subject for problem-solving purposes.
EpisodeJeff Atwood: Stack Overflow and Coding Horror
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The importance of communities of people that are connected by a common interest is often overlooked by platforms like Facebook, which prioritize personal connections over shared interests.
17:51 - 22:49 (04:58)
Summary
The importance of communities of people that are connected by a common interest is often overlooked by platforms like Facebook, which prioritize personal connections over shared interests. However, building connections based on shared interests can create powerful and engaged communities.
EpisodeJeff Atwood: Stack Overflow and Coding Horror
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Community building is essential for growing a business or project, and it requires consistency and a sense of ritual to remain effective.
22:49 - 26:58 (04:08)
Summary
Community building is essential for growing a business or project, and it requires consistency and a sense of ritual to remain effective. Establishing an online meeting space or clubhouse, generating artifacts, and inviting collaboration can lead to better information and richer participation.
EpisodeJeff Atwood: Stack Overflow and Coding Horror
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The goal of good writing is to make it sound like you're talking, so read your writing out loud multiple times.
26:58 - 32:40 (05:41)
Summary
The goal of good writing is to make it sound like you're talking, so read your writing out loud multiple times. Have the attitude that you want to write for yourself, regardless of the feedback received.
EpisodeJeff Atwood: Stack Overflow and Coding Horror
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The speaker discusses their decision to sell their blog for $100,000, which was a year's worth of salary at the time, and offers advice for making difficult decisions.
32:40 - 35:28 (02:48)
Summary
The speaker discusses their decision to sell their blog for $100,000, which was a year's worth of salary at the time, and offers advice for making difficult decisions.
EpisodeJeff Atwood: Stack Overflow and Coding Horror
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The founders describe the process of creating a community-building platform by researching successful concepts and combining them into what is now known as Discourse.
35:28 - 38:55 (03:26)
Summary
The founders describe the process of creating a community-building platform by researching successful concepts and combining them into what is now known as Discourse.
EpisodeJeff Atwood: Stack Overflow and Coding Horror
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
A discussion on the importance of asking good questions on Stack Overflow and how the platform can potentially assist users in improving their question-asking skills.
38:55 - 41:55 (02:59)
Summary
A discussion on the importance of asking good questions on Stack Overflow and how the platform can potentially assist users in improving their question-asking skills.
EpisodeJeff Atwood: Stack Overflow and Coding Horror
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
This podcast discusses the need for a playground for coding discussions, as having multiple copies of the same question and answer devalues the reputation system on sites like Stack Overflow.
41:55 - 45:14 (03:18)
Summary
This podcast discusses the need for a playground for coding discussions, as having multiple copies of the same question and answer devalues the reputation system on sites like Stack Overflow. This would allow for more experimentation and testing for coders.
EpisodeJeff Atwood: Stack Overflow and Coding Horror
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The loose typing approach in programming can be complemented by unit testing, while strict typing may catch bugs in languages like JavaScript.
45:14 - 47:40 (02:25)
Summary
The loose typing approach in programming can be complemented by unit testing, while strict typing may catch bugs in languages like JavaScript. The reputation system in programming creates tension as individuals with high reputation become incentivized to enforce it.
EpisodeJeff Atwood: Stack Overflow and Coding Horror
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Good solo programmers think like computers, and have the ability to debug code rapidly and work on complex projects independently.
47:40 - 50:39 (02:59)
Summary
Good solo programmers think like computers, and have the ability to debug code rapidly and work on complex projects independently.
EpisodeJeff Atwood: Stack Overflow and Coding Horror
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The success of programming can be achieved without solely focusing on writing code, but allowing skilled individuals to solve problems and giving basic direction, because the people and environment around the code can have more influential consequences.
50:39 - 55:09 (04:30)
Summary
The success of programming can be achieved without solely focusing on writing code, but allowing skilled individuals to solve problems and giving basic direction, because the people and environment around the code can have more influential consequences.
EpisodeJeff Atwood: Stack Overflow and Coding Horror
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The podcast guest reflects on the importance of balancing higher level abstractions with hands-on building and the crucial role of software tech companies' competency in the speed of rolling out software changes to meet customers' needs.
55:09 - 1:00:13 (05:03)
Summary
The podcast guest reflects on the importance of balancing higher level abstractions with hands-on building and the crucial role of software tech companies' competency in the speed of rolling out software changes to meet customers' needs.
EpisodeJeff Atwood: Stack Overflow and Coding Horror
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The failure to learn source control in software development, which entails embracing the constant changes that come with developing software, is a setback in the growth of developers and unhealthy for any software built.
1:00:13 - 1:03:10 (02:56)
Summary
The failure to learn source control in software development, which entails embracing the constant changes that come with developing software, is a setback in the growth of developers and unhealthy for any software built.
EpisodeJeff Atwood: Stack Overflow and Coding Horror
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The speaker does not believe that programming on smartphones will become a mainstream activity, although the fundamentals of programming will continue to improve.
1:03:10 - 1:08:21 (05:11)
Summary
The speaker does not believe that programming on smartphones will become a mainstream activity, although the fundamentals of programming will continue to improve. Instead, the focus should be on teaching the basic command line concepts.
EpisodeJeff Atwood: Stack Overflow and Coding Horror
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The Unix philosophy has won in server-side programming, and there will be different veneers over Unix, but if you peel away one or two layers, it will still be Unix-y for a long time; meanwhile, client-side programming is growing.
1:08:21 - 1:13:42 (05:20)
Summary
The Unix philosophy has won in server-side programming, and there will be different veneers over Unix, but if you peel away one or two layers, it will still be Unix-y for a long time; meanwhile, client-side programming is growing.
EpisodeJeff Atwood: Stack Overflow and Coding Horror
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The heavy and disliked performance of online ads may lead to a switch to subscriptions, Patreon, and affiliate codes as a potential solution for content creators.
1:13:42 - 1:17:20 (03:38)
Summary
The heavy and disliked performance of online ads may lead to a switch to subscriptions, Patreon, and affiliate codes as a potential solution for content creators.
EpisodeJeff Atwood: Stack Overflow and Coding Horror
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Paul Ford talks about the fetishization of keyboards by the programming community, and how it relates to their love and passion for coding.
1:17:21 - 1:19:32 (02:11)
Summary
Paul Ford talks about the fetishization of keyboards by the programming community, and how it relates to their love and passion for coding.
EpisodeJeff Atwood: Stack Overflow and Coding Horror
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The speaker highly recommends anyone who doesn't have a mechanical keyboard to research it as it is a part of what makes us human and makes life worth living in its own way.
1:19:32 - 1:20:03 (00:30)
Summary
The speaker highly recommends anyone who doesn't have a mechanical keyboard to research it as it is a part of what makes us human and makes life worth living in its own way.