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I know (and respect) that Stack Exchange would prefer questions that can be answered not discussed but I am looking for a good place to discuss and learn about programming work habits.

I've been in the business for about three years but have always worked alone(meaning in my home ... alone), so I have never seen what other programmers actually do (as in how they actually spend their time) I would love to be able to DISCUSS more about this to improve my productivity, as well as to allay some of my own insecurities ... so any suggestions for a forum where GOOD (or even GREAT) programmers might be able to guide me ... I would greatly appreciate it.

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  • the right place would be at work, during lunch, with peers
    – Steven A. Lowe
    Oct 1, 2013 at 5:31
  • I'm going to assume by your witticism you are trying to say there is no other way than by working in a physical space with others doing the same thing? its an interesting position, but i wonder if you could back it up... thanks for responding though
    – rafirosenberg
    Oct 1, 2013 at 18:33
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    sorry, did not understand that 'always worked alone' meant 'i am the only programmer'! Online forum discussions and reading are great, but observing and asking questions is better. Suggest a local user group would be a good place to start. It's one thing to read about someone saying how they work, it's another to know the person talking and evaluate if they are as good/successful as they claim to be, to know how to interpret their advice. Also, work habits are highly individualized, so what works for someone else may not work for you. Good luck!
    – Steven A. Lowe
    Oct 1, 2013 at 19:18

4 Answers 4

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http://www.reddit.com/r/programming

disqus.com

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  • not allowed to vote up yet ... but thanks for responding
    – rafirosenberg
    Oct 1, 2013 at 18:35
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Although activity varies, just about every site in the Stack Exchange network has at least one chat room associated with it, and some have several. You can check out Stack Exchange Chat for the rooms - the official Programmers chat room is The Whiteboard. Stack Overflow has its own set of rooms. Once you get sufficient reputation on the Stack Exchange network, you can even create your own chat room and invite users to it.

Alternatively, I've tended to find some interesting discussions on Reddit, but your mileage may vary. They have a lot of different communities, but perhaps /r/programming, /r/coding, /r/CompSci, /r/softwaredevelopment, /r/AskComputerScience, or /r/csCareerQuestions may be relevant. Check out some of the links they are sharing and discussion threads that exist, and be sure to check out the sidebar for the community rules and maybe some links to other communities that may interest you.

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  • You also need 20 rep. to chat in the existing rooms
    – Izkata
    Oct 2, 2013 at 3:32
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    @Izkata This isn't really documented anywhere, but the 20 rep requirement is actually network wide, not site specific. rafirosenberg (the OP) can talk in SE chat rooms as he has > 20 rep on SO.
    – yannis
    Oct 5, 2013 at 12:20
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TL;DR: I encourage you to seek out other developers in your community. Listen, ask questions, and share.

My favorite place is at a enthusiasts or users group that focuses on technologies that you are working with. These groups are a great place to learn new things from people of all skill levels. I attend a couple groups on a regular basis. One focuses on ruby, which is the language I use most often, and the other focuses on software as a craft.

I find that the discussions in both groups touch on good, bad, and better ways to do... well everything. I also get a lot out of grabbing a bite or a drink with the attendees that are able to do so after the meeting is over. The topic of conversation is almost always about software in some aspect, and I walk away from each encounter with more knowledge and wisdom than I had before.

You can also see if there are any Code & Coffee meetings going on in your area. (http://codeandcoffee.info/) I haven't attended any, but I've heard good things from those who have.

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Quora is a good place to ask questions without fear of them being closed-for-offtopic (Stack Exchange), or downvoted for no reason (Reddit). It'll simply be re-tagged if need be. I'd try something like, What are the best work habits for programmers?.

People use real names and so the content quality is high. There's lot of good discussion in the answer comments. I did a simple search and found a question with interesting answers and conversation.

Sidenote: Quora competes with Stack Exchange. Each is guided by a very different philosophy.

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