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if it's about developer love, then next acquisition target for Microsoft should be StackOverflow.

by phoenix24 8y ago

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
giancarlostoro 8y ago
Would be interesting but I don't think SO needs the funding / resources as badly as GitHub does.
- megaman22 8y ago
  Considering they keep bailing on new features that could make them money at an astounding rate, I think that's accurate. The SO documentation site thing was gone before I could think about using it.
caymanjim 8y ago
Stack Overflow was founded by Joel Spolsky, who is a Microsoft veteran from their era of peak dominance. I suspect it's a passion project of his that he'd like to hang on to, but he's also pragmatic and everything has its price. And it's profitable. I wouldn't be surprised if someone bought it. I can envision synergy between Stack Overflow and GitHub. Satya Nadella seems to really "get it", though, and I don't anticipate any dramatic changes to GitHub, or to Stack Overflow should they take it over.
- icebraining 8y ago
  Spolsky certainly had a strong influence with his ideas and feedback, but I don't think he was ever very directly involved in the project - the main driver was Jeff Atwood. At least that's what I got from listening to the podcast, back in '08.
  - fjsolwmv 8y ago
    Is "co-founder" and "strong influence with ideas" not direct involvement? Spolsky has a long and impressive resume. What was he doing during the SO era if not working on SO?
    - icebraining 8y ago
      The idea I got was that he had opinions on how it should work, but that he wasn't involved in the actual development. He's actually written recently on it: "Jeff started working on the code in April 2008, recruited two other programmers to join him (Geoff and Jarrod, who are still here), and the three of them heroically launched what became Stack Overflow in September 2008." I'm guessing he was running Fog Creek Software, as its CEO.
pests 8y ago
It already uses Microsoft tech so why not?
pluma 8y ago
StackOverflow has a fairly bad reputation despite its widely perceived usefulness (the community is often seen as toxic and hostile to beginners). Microsoft would have to severely invest into SO's PR and community management. Compare that to GitHub which has gotten over most of its bad press in the past.

if it's about developer love, then next acquisition target for Microsoft should be StackOverflow.

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

giancarlostoro 8y ago

Would be interesting but I don't think SO needs the funding / resources as badly as GitHub does.

megaman22 8y ago
Considering they keep bailing on new features that could make them money at an astounding rate, I think that's accurate. The SO documentation site thing was gone before I could think about using it.

caymanjim 8y ago

Stack Overflow was founded by Joel Spolsky, who is a Microsoft veteran from their era of peak dominance. I suspect it's a passion project of his that he'd like to hang on to, but he's also pragmatic and everything has its price. And it's profitable. I wouldn't be surprised if someone bought it. I can envision synergy between Stack Overflow and GitHub. Satya Nadella seems to really "get it", though, and I don't anticipate any dramatic changes to GitHub, or to Stack Overflow should they take it over.

icebraining 8y ago
Spolsky certainly had a strong influence with his ideas and feedback, but I don't think he was ever very directly involved in the project - the main driver was Jeff Atwood. At least that's what I got from listening to the podcast, back in '08.
- fjsolwmv 8y ago
  Is "co-founder" and "strong influence with ideas" not direct involvement? Spolsky has a long and impressive resume. What was he doing during the SO era if not working on SO?
  - icebraining 8y ago
    The idea I got was that he had opinions on how it should work, but that he wasn't involved in the actual development. He's actually written recently on it: "Jeff started working on the code in April 2008, recruited two other programmers to join him (Geoff and Jarrod, who are still here), and the three of them heroically launched what became Stack Overflow in September 2008." I'm guessing he was running Fog Creek Software, as its CEO.

pests 8y ago

It already uses Microsoft tech so why not?

pluma 8y ago

StackOverflow has a fairly bad reputation despite its widely perceived usefulness (the community is often seen as toxic and hostile to beginners). Microsoft would have to severely invest into SO's PR and community management. Compare that to GitHub which has gotten over most of its bad press in the past.