[sorbits]

> you didn't know for sure where to post your problem

It depends on the topic/domain, but I have fond memories of being on various mailing lists, and there was also usenet.

[ianmcgowan]

Came to say this - the more niche usenet groups were full of helpful people that didn't mind answering questions, and discussing fuzzy issues.

I don't think of the developer eras as pre-SO vs post-SO, more pre-Google vs post-Google, though SO has definitely been a net positive.