[jeremysmyth]

That was always the design goal. It was never a place for discussions, ever.

They eventually implemented the chat rooms because there was a demand for community-style conversations and interactions, but they've never allowed discussions or conversations in the Q/A format, and comments that turn into conversations are discouraged in the code.

Subsequently, one of the founders (Jeff Atwood) went on to form Discourse, which is about conversation and community.