[maxxxxx]

The question was pretty broad but I think discussing it would have been very valuable for quite a few people. What bothered me were the snide responses. At minimum they should have stayed quiet or explained that SO doesn't deal with this kind of question.

[jpindar]

Closed for using the D word! Stack Overflow is not for discussion! </SO mod>

[aw3c2]

> discussing

SO is not for discussion!

[Someone1234]

Until it is.

Ironically most of the more helpful SO google results are helpful exactly because of the discussion/updates that took place in the comment chain under an answer from ten years earlier.

> Guys how do I filter an array in JavaScript?!

>> Use XYZ

>>> XYZ works, but it doesn't work in IE5

>>>> If you're on IE10 or above you can use ABC instead of XYZ, it is cleaner!

>>>>> Hey guys, change this {} to this {}, makes it faster on mobile!

[aeorgnoieang]

Ideally, those 'discussions' would be incorporated into an answer, if only a new answer. Even-more-ideally, a single (most-upvoted) answer would incorporate all of the info from other answers and subsequent comments. That, of course, doesn't happen that often.

Every Wikipedia article has a talk page. But that doesn't mean that the purpose of the site is discussion. I think the same thing applies to SO.

[shagie]

The indents there suggest a threaded discussion that looks more like a 1 on 1 chat or threaded discussion board.

Wouldn’t one of those resources be a better place to hold such a discussion?

[sosborn]

In the best (and rarest) examples of SO, those comments percolate into the accepted answer as edits (and marked as such).

[maxxxxx]

If SO not for discussion is there a forum where you can discuss broad software architecture? Something with a spirit like HN where not everything is on topic but usually discussions are respectful and interesting.

[baud147258]

I think that one of the other site of the stackexchage network, https://softwareengineering.stackexchange.com/, does that

[shagie]

That site is still not for discussions. It is however a site for Q&A on the software development process and architecture which tends to softer questions.

Still, discussions are for chat.

[maxxxxx]

Cool. I will have to check that out.