[d0m]

Stackoverflow is so good.. anytime it's not stackoverflow, I'm sooo disappointed. A feature that I miss on stackoverflow would be a way to still use it on "incorrect" questions. For instance, someone asks "What's the best Linux distribution?". Obviously, it will be flagged and closed because it will most likely create a debate rather than having a strong and unique "best" answer.

However, it would still be interesting to have another tab, say "Discussion", where people could shoot arguments and the best ones could still be upvoted. So, yes, there wouldn't be "one best answer", but it would still be fun to read the best answers.

[eterm]

If there were discussions then it wouldn't be so good for exactly what it's good for, discovering good solid answers to obscure programming problems.

Where else to discover why date pickers don't always properly show up[1] or why the default printer doesn't stay in sync in VB6[2].

Discussions would quickly drown out the real content and it would degrade. I love the fact that from the start SO has been about real answers to real problems.

[1] http://stackoverflow.com/questions/12633471/mvc4-datatype-da...

[2] http://stackoverflow.com/questions/695784/how-do-you-recogni...

[mbesto]

Isn't this what Quora is? I notice a vast amount of sentiment on HN about how we need a "subjective place to discuss" and yet you already have it (quora).

My reaction is - you don't. What's becomes more helpful than reading discussions about what $FRAMEWORK1 is better than $FRAMEWORK2 (that inevitably are not supposed to end) is to stop discussing and build yourself.

[GFischer]

Quora looks and sounds great, but it's gathered a lot of ill will with its tactics - which Stack Overflow pointedly does not use, and so, me (and probably others) would like a Quora site with Stack Overflow-like openness.

[T-R]

We're trying to cover exactly those kinds of questions - http://www.slant.co/topics/871/~best-linux-distribution

Not trying to compete with SO, but we think those questions need a home, and share eterm's view that maybe they're not a good fit for SO's format.

[sillysaurus2]

This. It's the only avenue that a competitor could use to subvert Stackoverflow. Make a copy of SO, but allow subjective questions, and make it easy for people who are trying to discuss them to migrate from SO to your site.