Stack Exchange Network
Encyclopedia
The Stack Exchange Network is a network of website
s featuring questions and answers on a wide range of topics in different fields, owned and operated by Stack Exchange, Inc.
The website features the ability for users to ask and answer questions. Through membership and active participation, users vote questions and answers up or down and edit questions and answers in a wiki
fashion. Users can earn reputation points
and "badges" through site participation; for example, a user is awarded 10 reputation points for receiving an "up" vote on an answer given to a question, and can receive badges for their valued contributions. By collecting reputation points, users are given more and more permissions, ranging from the ability to vote and comment on questions and answers to the ability to moderate many aspects of the site.
, was created by Jeff Atwood
and Joel Spolsky
in 2008 as a more open alternative to earlier forums such as Experts Exchange. Soon after Stack Overflow exited from its beta phase, a few more sites were added to the network, starting with Server Fault, which entered public beta on May 26, 2009.
The Stack Exchange platform was first released by Fog Creek Software as a solution for third-parties to create their own communities based on the software behind Stack Overflow and its sister sites. Later, the site was repurposed so the community can collaborate in deciding on what sites should be added to the network.
Known by the community as the "Trilogy" sites, the Stack Exchange network began with three sites:
was created by Jeff Atwood
and Joel Spolsky
in 2008 as a more open alternative to earlier programmer forums such as Experts Exchange. The name for the website was chosen by voting in April 2008 by readers of Coding Horror, Atwood's popular programming blog. On September 15, 2008 it was announced the public beta was in session and that the general public was now able to use it to seek assistance on programming related issues.
, Stack Overflow has about 450,000 registered users and 1.2 million questions. Based on tags
assigned to the questions, the most common topics on the site are C#, Java
, PHP
, .NET
, ASP.NET
, JavaScript
, C++
, jQuery
, iPhone
, and Python
.
In April 2009, the owners of Stack Overflow began a private beta for Server Fault, a sister site. The site deals exclusively with questions and answers related to the field of system administration, designed for use by system administrator
s and IT professionals. It went into open beta in May 2009, with registration open to all.
Based on tags
assigned to the questions, the most common topics on the site are Linux
, Windows
, Windows Server 2003
, Windows Server 2008, security
, networking, SQL Server
, Apache
, Ubuntu
and backup
s.
s", rather than just programmers or system administrators, was launched publicly on August 18, 2009.
The sites that were created were all hosted by Fog Creek Software
with pricing for the platform based on the number of page views, starting at $129 per month for up to 1 million page view
s.
MathOverflow was perhaps the most successful of these sites, and while no more 1.0 sites are being launched, some are still thriving, and others have been incorporated into the 2.0 platform.
, Stack Exchange 2.0 was announced by Stack Exchange, Inc. (then Stack Overflow Internet Services, Inc.), creating new free-of-charge sites owned by the owners of the Stack Exchange network (instead of by individual third-parties) with content publicly owned under a Creative Commons
license. New sites are proposed, voted on, and created using a crowd-sourcing process where people can propose ideas.
The site creation zone of the Stack Exchange Network is called Area 51. It allows people to create expert and Q&A websites. The site itself describes the zone: "Area 51 is the Stack Exchange Network staging zone, where users come together to build new Q&A sites. New site ideas are proposed, discussed, and the best go on to beta. See the faq for more information."
, 25 sites have fully launched, with another 33 in public beta. Perhaps the fastest growing of these has been Ask Ubuntu
which launched alongside Ubuntu 10.10 after receiving help from Canonical
both in allowing use of their trademark, and in helping theme the site to follow the Ubuntu brand guidelines.
One of the early sites using the Stack Exchange 1.0 software is Mathematical research Q&A MathOverflow which is being used by many prominent mathematicians including a number of Fields Medalists. The network is using the Stack Exchange 2.0 to expand to cover other academic research areas like Statistics
and Data Mining
, Theoretical Computer Science
, Linguistics
, Literature
, and Theoretical Physics
, Theology
, Economics
, and History
. The network also supports Q&A sites for general level questions.
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
s featuring questions and answers on a wide range of topics in different fields, owned and operated by Stack Exchange, Inc.
The website features the ability for users to ask and answer questions. Through membership and active participation, users vote questions and answers up or down and edit questions and answers in a wiki
Wiki
A wiki is a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor. Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used collaboratively by multiple users. Examples include...
fashion. Users can earn reputation points
Trust metric
In psychology and sociology, a trust metric is a measurement of the degree to which one social actor trusts another social actor...
and "badges" through site participation; for example, a user is awarded 10 reputation points for receiving an "up" vote on an answer given to a question, and can receive badges for their valued contributions. By collecting reputation points, users are given more and more permissions, ranging from the ability to vote and comment on questions and answers to the ability to moderate many aspects of the site.
History
Stack Exchange’s first site, Stack OverflowStack overflow
In software, a stack overflow occurs when too much memory is used on the call stack. The call stack contains a limited amount of memory, often determined at the start of the program. The size of the call stack depends on many factors, including the programming language, machine architecture,...
, was created by Jeff Atwood
Jeff Atwood
Jeff Atwood is a software developer, book author, podcaster and writer of the popular blog Coding Horror. Together with Joel Spolsky, he founded the question-and-answer website network Stack Exchange, which includes Stack Overflow for programmers, Server Fault for system administrators, and Super...
and Joel Spolsky
Joel Spolsky
Avram Joel Spolsky is a software engineer and writer. He is the author of Joel on Software, a blog on software development. He was a Program Manager on the Microsoft Excel team between 1991 and 1994. He later founded Fog Creek Software in 2000 and launched the Joel on Software blog...
in 2008 as a more open alternative to earlier forums such as Experts Exchange. Soon after Stack Overflow exited from its beta phase, a few more sites were added to the network, starting with Server Fault, which entered public beta on May 26, 2009.
The Stack Exchange platform was first released by Fog Creek Software as a solution for third-parties to create their own communities based on the software behind Stack Overflow and its sister sites. Later, the site was repurposed so the community can collaborate in deciding on what sites should be added to the network.
Known by the community as the "Trilogy" sites, the Stack Exchange network began with three sites:
Stack Overflow
Stack OverflowStack overflow
In software, a stack overflow occurs when too much memory is used on the call stack. The call stack contains a limited amount of memory, often determined at the start of the program. The size of the call stack depends on many factors, including the programming language, machine architecture,...
was created by Jeff Atwood
Jeff Atwood
Jeff Atwood is a software developer, book author, podcaster and writer of the popular blog Coding Horror. Together with Joel Spolsky, he founded the question-and-answer website network Stack Exchange, which includes Stack Overflow for programmers, Server Fault for system administrators, and Super...
and Joel Spolsky
Joel Spolsky
Avram Joel Spolsky is a software engineer and writer. He is the author of Joel on Software, a blog on software development. He was a Program Manager on the Microsoft Excel team between 1991 and 1994. He later founded Fog Creek Software in 2000 and launched the Joel on Software blog...
in 2008 as a more open alternative to earlier programmer forums such as Experts Exchange. The name for the website was chosen by voting in April 2008 by readers of Coding Horror, Atwood's popular programming blog. On September 15, 2008 it was announced the public beta was in session and that the general public was now able to use it to seek assistance on programming related issues.
, Stack Overflow has about 450,000 registered users and 1.2 million questions. Based on tags
Tag (metadata)
In online computer systems terminology, a tag is a non-hierarchical keyword or term assigned to a piece of information . This kind of metadata helps describe an item and allows it to be found again by browsing or searching...
assigned to the questions, the most common topics on the site are C#, Java
Java (programming language)
Java is a programming language originally developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java platform. The language derives much of its syntax from C and C++ but has a simpler object model and fewer low-level facilities...
, PHP
PHP
PHP is a general-purpose server-side scripting language originally designed for web development to produce dynamic web pages. For this purpose, PHP code is embedded into the HTML source document and interpreted by a web server with a PHP processor module, which generates the web page document...
, .NET
.NET Framework
The .NET Framework is a software framework that runs primarily on Microsoft Windows. It includes a large library and supports several programming languages which allows language interoperability...
, ASP.NET
ASP.NET
ASP.NET is a Web application framework developed and marketed by Microsoft to allow programmers to build dynamic Web sites, Web applications and Web services. It was first released in January 2002 with version 1.0 of the .NET Framework, and is the successor to Microsoft's Active Server Pages ...
, JavaScript
JavaScript
JavaScript is a prototype-based scripting language that is dynamic, weakly typed and has first-class functions. It is a multi-paradigm language, supporting object-oriented, imperative, and functional programming styles....
, C++
C++
C++ is a statically typed, free-form, multi-paradigm, compiled, general-purpose programming language. It is regarded as an intermediate-level language, as it comprises a combination of both high-level and low-level language features. It was developed by Bjarne Stroustrup starting in 1979 at Bell...
, jQuery
JQuery
jQuery is a cross-browser JavaScript library designed to simplify the client-side scripting of HTML. It was released in January 2006 at BarCamp NYC by John Resig...
, iPhone
IPhone SDK
The iOS SDK is a software development kit developed by Apple Inc. and released in February 2008 to develop native applications for iOS.-History:...
, and Python
Python (programming language)
Python is a general-purpose, high-level programming language whose design philosophy emphasizes code readability. Python claims to "[combine] remarkable power with very clear syntax", and its standard library is large and comprehensive...
.
Server Fault
In April 2009, the owners of Stack Overflow began a private beta for Server Fault, a sister site. The site deals exclusively with questions and answers related to the field of system administration, designed for use by system administrator
System administrator
A system administrator, IT systems administrator, systems administrator, or sysadmin is a person employed to maintain and operate a computer system and/or network...
s and IT professionals. It went into open beta in May 2009, with registration open to all.
Based on tags
Tag (metadata)
In online computer systems terminology, a tag is a non-hierarchical keyword or term assigned to a piece of information . This kind of metadata helps describe an item and allows it to be found again by browsing or searching...
assigned to the questions, the most common topics on the site are Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
, Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, Windows Server 2003
Windows Server 2003
Windows Server 2003 is a server operating system produced by Microsoft, introduced on 24 April 2003. An updated version, Windows Server 2003 R2, was released to manufacturing on 6 December 2005...
, Windows Server 2008, security
Computer security
Computer security is a branch of computer technology known as information security as applied to computers and networks. The objective of computer security includes protection of information and property from theft, corruption, or natural disaster, while allowing the information and property to...
, networking, SQL Server
Microsoft SQL Server
Microsoft SQL Server is a relational database server, developed by Microsoft: It is a software product whose primary function is to store and retrieve data as requested by other software applications, be it those on the same computer or those running on another computer across a network...
, Apache
Apache HTTP Server
The Apache HTTP Server, commonly referred to as Apache , is web server software notable for playing a key role in the initial growth of the World Wide Web. In 2009 it became the first web server software to surpass the 100 million website milestone...
, Ubuntu
Ubuntu (operating system)
Ubuntu is a computer operating system based on the Debian Linux distribution and distributed as free and open source software. It is named after the Southern African philosophy of Ubuntu...
and backup
Backup
In information technology, a backup or the process of backing up is making copies of data which may be used to restore the original after a data loss event. The verb form is back up in two words, whereas the noun is backup....
s.
Super User
Super User, a sister site dedicated to questions from all computer "power userPower user
A power user is a user of a personal computer who has the ability to use advanced features of programs which are beyond the abilities of "normal" users, but is not necessarily capable of programming and system administration...
s", rather than just programmers or system administrators, was launched publicly on August 18, 2009.
StackExchange 1.0
Launched in February 2010, Stack Exchange 1.0 was a product sold to third-parties to create sites based on the software that powers Stack Overflow, with the third-parties owning the sites they created.The sites that were created were all hosted by Fog Creek Software
Fog Creek Software
Fog Creek Software is a software company specializing in project management tools. Its main products are FogBugz, a web-based project management tool, Fog Creek Copilot, a remote assistance tool, CityDesk, a desktop-based content management system, Kiln, a source control and code review tool built...
with pricing for the platform based on the number of page views, starting at $129 per month for up to 1 million page view
Page view
A page view or page impression is a request to load a single HTML file of an Internet site. On the World Wide Web a 'page' request would result from a web surfer clicking on a link on another 'page' pointing to the 'page' in question. This should be contrasted with a hit, which refers to a...
s.
MathOverflow was perhaps the most successful of these sites, and while no more 1.0 sites are being launched, some are still thriving, and others have been incorporated into the 2.0 platform.
Stack Exchange 2.0 and Area 51 website
In April 2010, with the help of venture capital fundingVenture capital
Venture capital is financial capital provided to early-stage, high-potential, high risk, growth startup companies. The venture capital fund makes money by owning equity in the companies it invests in, which usually have a novel technology or business model in high technology industries, such as...
, Stack Exchange 2.0 was announced by Stack Exchange, Inc. (then Stack Overflow Internet Services, Inc.), creating new free-of-charge sites owned by the owners of the Stack Exchange network (instead of by individual third-parties) with content publicly owned under a Creative Commons
Creative Commons
Creative Commons is a non-profit organization headquartered in Mountain View, California, United States devoted to expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has released several copyright-licenses known as Creative Commons...
license. New sites are proposed, voted on, and created using a crowd-sourcing process where people can propose ideas.
The site creation zone of the Stack Exchange Network is called Area 51. It allows people to create expert and Q&A websites. The site itself describes the zone: "Area 51 is the Stack Exchange Network staging zone, where users come together to build new Q&A sites. New site ideas are proposed, discussed, and the best go on to beta. See the faq for more information."
, 25 sites have fully launched, with another 33 in public beta. Perhaps the fastest growing of these has been Ask Ubuntu
Ask Ubuntu
Ask Ubuntu is a community driven Question and Answer website for the Ubuntu operating system. It is part of the Stack Exchange Network, running the same software as Stack Overflow....
which launched alongside Ubuntu 10.10 after receiving help from Canonical
Canonical Ltd.
Canonical Ltd. is a private company founded by South African entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth to market commercial support and related services for Ubuntu Linux and related projects. Canonical is registered in London and employs staff around the world...
both in allowing use of their trademark, and in helping theme the site to follow the Ubuntu brand guidelines.
One of the early sites using the Stack Exchange 1.0 software is Mathematical research Q&A MathOverflow which is being used by many prominent mathematicians including a number of Fields Medalists. The network is using the Stack Exchange 2.0 to expand to cover other academic research areas like Statistics
Statistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
and Data Mining
Data mining
Data mining , a relatively young and interdisciplinary field of computer science is the process of discovering new patterns from large data sets involving methods at the intersection of artificial intelligence, machine learning, statistics and database systems...
, Theoretical Computer Science
Theoretical Computer Science
The term Theoretical Computer Science may refer to:*The field of theoretical computer science.*Theoretical Computer Science , a journal covering this field....
, Linguistics
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
, Literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
, and Theoretical Physics
Theoretical physics
Theoretical physics is a branch of physics which employs mathematical models and abstractions of physics to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena...
, Theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
, Economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, and History
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
. The network also supports Q&A sites for general level questions.