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Why do we even have Code Review has the right title and raises the right issues, especially:

Sure, there can be some overlap sometimes, but these other sites shouldn't be a complete subset of another, yes?

But the actual question there is Should questions posted on Stack Overflow that are asking for a code review be moved to Code Review? so I like to think this is not a duplicate.

You will notice the quoted "we" in the title, and this really boils down to the preference of The Powers That Be, but still it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.

I would like to add a few observations here:

  • Code Review is 100% programming related, and it is only through explicit exclusion, that is is (more or less) off topic on SO.
  • The experts and audience of Code Review is a 100% subset of SO.

Most importantly:

  • From a conceptual point of view, a good question on Code Review is also a good question on SO. Likewise a good answer on CR, one that make the internet a better place is also a good answer on SO.

So why can't Code Review (or Code Golf, or Library Recommendations, for that matter) not simply be a proper tag on Stackoverflow and we be done with it?

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    You might have a case for Code Review (I disagree though), but lumping Code Golf and Software Recs in the same bucket? Your three "observations" don't apply to those two.
    – Mat
    Commented Apr 20, 2015 at 11:09
  • Then SO might as well have tags for all other code-related questions, thus having no need for other related sites. Basically, SO already has a scope that doesn't encompass the other sites' content, and they will not be adding more to that scope anytime soon.
    – Jamal
    Commented Apr 20, 2015 at 12:46
  • @Mat they don't apply to Code Review either.
    – RubberDuck
    Commented Apr 20, 2015 at 12:55
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    @RubberDuck: I agree with you, but the "observations" aren't completely outlandish a priori. (But when you know SO & CR, then indeed they fail.)
    – Mat
    Commented Apr 20, 2015 at 13:02
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    see Thought experiment: What would happen if we didn't have close votes? "If you check help center articles at these sites, you may notice that their norms on asking and answering differ a lot from those at Stack Overflow (and also differ a lot between each other)..."
    – gnat
    Commented Apr 20, 2015 at 20:22
  • @Martin, How did this get -16 votes?
    – Pacerier
    Commented Apr 28, 2015 at 9:25
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    @Pacerier - I've long given up guessing on the workings of the Meta votings. And I don't care. I've said my thing (hopefully politely), put it up for discussion, and if people merely disagreeing somewhat feel they need to downvote, so be it. It's not as if I care for my meta score. (The good thing here is that I actually got a useful answer, so I'm more than happy with the -16 :-) )
    – Martin
    Commented Apr 28, 2015 at 9:30
  • @Pacerier I don't know. IMHO it is not a bad question. It's tagged discussion after all, and not feature-request. I don't think it's wrong to question sites' scope and topic overlaps. It's got +1 from me from the very beginning.
    – yo'
    Commented Apr 28, 2015 at 9:31
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    @Martin One thing I find a bit aggressive is speaking about "The Powers" in a place where community plays an important role. Launch of a site is not something The Powers do extremely actively: If a proposal gets enough good attention at Area51 and is not a blatant duplicate of another site and doesn't violate any other common SE rules, it's made a beta site. This process is more a community thing.
    – yo'
    Commented Apr 28, 2015 at 9:33

2 Answers 2

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The experts and audience of Code Review is a 100% subset of SO.

That's not true. Not at all. I barely ever look at SO, yet I am a top contributing member of the Code Review community.

From a conceptual point of view, a good question on Code Review is also a good question on SO.

Also not true. Not even close. A good question on Stack Overflow includes a minimal, complete, and verifiable example. Example code is explicitly off topic on Code Review.

Lastly, despite still being "Beta Blue", we've already graduated. We're just waiting on the back log of site designs now.

I really recommend that you come get to know us over on Code Review before you suggest that we should be involved with the mess over on SO.

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    It is my mess, and I love it!
    – rene Mod
    Commented Apr 20, 2015 at 13:17
  • That's fair @rene. Some of us don't though. I didn't mean any offense to anyone. I'm just having a bad day.
    – RubberDuck
    Commented Apr 20, 2015 at 13:18
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    Don't ask me about having bad days ... and it needs a lot more to offend me (anyone really but that is their problem)... ;)
    – rene Mod
    Commented Apr 20, 2015 at 13:21
  • Very useful perspective. I do find it quite the feat to be a programmer today and not use SO at all :-)
    – Martin
    Commented Apr 20, 2015 at 13:43
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    @Martin "I barely ever look at SO". I do use SO, but I avoid it like the plague. Or perhaps, cough syrup would be a better analogy.
    – RubberDuck
    Commented Apr 20, 2015 at 13:45
  • @RubberDuck, Why do you like Code Review? Aren't the questions there often just waaay too localized?
    – Pacerier
    Commented Apr 28, 2015 at 9:27
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    @Pacerier because the code works.
    – RubberDuck
    Commented Apr 28, 2015 at 10:21
  • @RubberDuck, Erm... I don't think I get your explanation. The code works yes, but most code do work. (Tons of open source software to look at.) What's so interesting about Code Review?
    – Pacerier
    Commented Apr 28, 2015 at 10:25
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    Well... Let me rephrase. In short, it's not SO. I like the culture and the people there. It's friendly. I also really have a passion for clean code. And learning. I've found that I learn just as much, if not more, from reviewing other people's code as I do from getting mine reviewed @Pacerier.
    – RubberDuck
    Commented Apr 28, 2015 at 10:30
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    Even more importantly: A good answer on SO is not a good answer on CR. "Good" (good enough to be upvoted at least) SO answers are "Here's how to do it: (insert code dump here). A good CR answer is more of the form: "In your original code, A, B and C is flawed. You might also think about D. This ends up in (insert code here)".
    – Simon Forsberg
    Commented Apr 28, 2015 at 10:51
  • @RubberDuck, Ah, that's a nice reason. Much better than the zipped version: "because the code works".
    – Pacerier
    Commented Apr 28, 2015 at 13:57
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The problem with CR questions on SO is that they're too localized (this doesn't exists anymore as a reason, now it's called "not helpful to others by SO standards"). CR is different in dropping this restriction.

PCG has a very specific set of rules and tags that make it a special site; certainly there were some CG questions on SO, but they had always been borderline.

SR does a similar thing as CR -- covers "shopping questions", that are off-topic on SO.

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  • Many SO questions that are more "CR-material" is also commonly closed as too broad and primarily opinion based.
    – Simon Forsberg
    Commented Apr 28, 2015 at 10:52

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