Where in the (Stack Exchange) world can I initiate a programming-related discussion? [duplicate]

Question

This question already has answers here:

Where can I ask a question about finding general software that meets certain requirements? (2 answers)

How can Stack Overflow help developers evaluate technologies? [migrated] (4 answers)

Closed 6 years ago.

I fired up Stack Overflow just now and entered in the search "best jquery tooltip plugin", and was met with a fine collection of perfectly clickable candidates ... many of which have been closed as not constructive.

I've read the FAQ and I get it; it's not necessarily a factual programming question, and at some point they have to draw a line in the sand. Alas, I'm spoiled, and at this point I've pretty much convinced myself that if a SO post fails to generate traction then my question is untenable.

Where in the Stack Exchange universe does a question like the one above make the most sense? Is it just flat out unacceptable anywhere? Is there a stackdiscussion.com? Should I be asking this in meta.stackoverflow? Someone kinda did. But this is a programming question. Factual? debatable. But most certainly a programming question.

Answer 1

As pointed out in comments, the most enlightening guidance on asking and answering best / recommendation type questions appears to be one given in Q&A is Hard, Let’s Go Shopping!

...consider the voluminous amount of information you need to even begin properly answering...

Let’s say the question asker provided all that information. Fat chance, I know, but let’s pretend for a moment they did — and we were able to provide the perfect, ideal shopping recommendation to them. Even if that was the case, technology moves so rapidly that the best shopping recommendations will be utterly obsolete within a year! What’s the point of a bunch of labor intensive questions that provide only temporary benefit to a limited (some might say Too Localized) audience? There isn’t any...

... there is a way to ask these questions that avoids the inherent problems with shopping recommendations. For example, let’s say you wanted — as I did — to buy a point-and-shoot camera that takes good low light photos. So we’re going to ask on photo.stackexchange.com, naturally!

Here’s one way to ask:

Q: What’s the best low light point-and-shoot camera?

...Here’s another way to ask:

Q: How do I tell which point-and-shoot cameras take good low light photos?

...The former question provides the path of least resistance: a laundry list of products I can buy without thinking about it too much. But that answer will only be valid for a year at best. The latter question may take some thinking, but its answer will be valid forever … or at least until camera technology somehow shifts beyond lenses and sensors as we know them today. Thus, when it comes to shopping questions, don’t ask us what you should buy — ask us what you need to learn to tell what you should buy...

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Applied to your particular case, a more appropriate question could be like like "How do I tell which jquery tooltip plugin <fill in what do you want from it>"

Answer 2

If you're looking for discussion instead of Q&A, I'd suggest the chat.

SO usually has chat rooms for specific languages/technologies, or there are some more active chatrooms that are for general chat

There's also the Programmers.SE chat, which is the main chat room for programmers.stackexchange

Answer 3

Where in the stackexchange universe does a question like the one above make the most sense?

Nowhere.

Stack Exchange is not a place for discussions or debates. The very design of SE is built around quelling debates should they spring up, not encouraging them out. That's why the comment system is restricted.

Stack Exchange is for answering questions, not discussing things and putting forth various opinions. Even subjective questions must be held to certain standards, and answers have to be backed up by either facts or actual experience.

You could try the chatrooms if you feel like it. That's as close to "discussion" as it gets.

Answer 4

There's now programmers.stackexchange.com, which accepts many questions about programming projects, techniques, and designs, which aren't specific to a particular piece of code.

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Gee, this started a firestorm. I didn't feel there was enough information to know for sure whether the question would or would not be on-topic at Programmers.

I can't tell whether he's looking for an existing plugin (the "best" one, whatever that means) or "best practices" for writing his own plugin.

But go ahead and downvote my answer into oblivion. I'm assuming the intent is that "this answer is not helpful" rather than incorrect, and that may be true, depending on what kind of question the user was really asking.