[matsemann]

"why are you doing this" isn't a "irrelevant stupid comment". It's because most askers are really asking a XY question. They ask for Y, since that's their immediate problem, but solving X is their real goal. So it's a question meant to make it easier to help, when doing Y seems a bit weird.

https://xyproblem.info/

> The people on stack overflow, by and large, are not nice

From your long rant, I'm not sure if you're coming off any better. To me it sounds like SO should be happy someone like you isn't contributing.

[animuchan]

Oh, the XY people are the worst on SO. Here's the latest example I've seen: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/57121467/import-a-module...

Please see the comments under the OP. While the question is technically sound (I've needed this exact thing for a REPL I was writing), the comments are perfectly useless, self-entitled and discouraging drivel. Notable example:

> This is an incredibly odd thing to ask

(emphasis theirs). How is this even slightly odd. Are REPLs odd? Of course not.

[matsemann]

I don't see the problem there at all.

They ask a question with some weird requirements, people ask why those requirements are in place as it makes it hard to solve, the asker explains why. Everything is good.

[emodendroket]

If you’re writing a REPL it’s one thing but it does seem like evaluating a string is the kind of thing where most people trying to do it are using the wrong approach.

[matisseverduyn]

> From your long rant, I'm not sure if you're coming off any better. To me it sounds like SO should be happy someone like you isn't contributing.

Is quite a harsh personal attack, and probably contributes to the author's feelings regarding hostility and gatekeeping.

[matsemann]

They're the one saying people at SO aren't nice. My guess is just that the person feels that way after getting pushback from their own behavior / attitude. I feel it's a trend, I see lots of toxic comments from people "having given up SO", and I think to myself that it's a good thing..

But you're right, I should've avoided going personal.

[wokwokwok]

No, by all means go right ahead.

I literally not do care remotely what you, or other folk like you on SO say. :)

You’re why I no longer go there.

[LoganDark]

> They're the one saying people at SO aren't nice.

They never said that. They said that stupid comments get posted.

[matsemann]

I quote it in my parent post directly. So yes, they said that.

[LoganDark]

wokwokwok did not say that. wokwokwok replied to a comment that said that, but did not say it themself.