Member-only story
We Were the Stack
The internet’s smartest forum is a ghost town now.
Non-members, read for free HERE
You ever look at a Stack Overflow answer from 2014 and think, “Damn. Someone really cared”?
Like, really sat down, formatted their code blocks, wrote a clear explanation, anticipated follow-up questions, and then… just vanished into the fog of the internet.
There’s something haunting about that. Not just because the answer probably still works (even if it’s referencing Node 0.10), but because it came from someone who gave a damn. And that’s the part I miss the most.
We weren’t just reading Stack Overflow.
We were the Stack.
Back When It Mattered
There was a time — somewhere between the jQuery era and early React — when Stack Overflow felt like a real place. Like a library staffed entirely by grumpy-but-brilliant volunteers who hated duplicate questions but loved helping people who showed effort.
And when your answer got accepted?
Oh, baby. That green checkmark hit harder than a job offer.
But it wasn’t just about reputation points. It was a quiet social contract.
