Red Pill Question or Blue Pill Question
06 Sep 2023
It’s Good for All of Us
If you’ve never sought assistance with your code, it’s important to reconsider. Even seasoned engineers encounter challenges, and asking for assistance is a common practice in the field of software engineering. To ensure that we respect others’ time and receive effective solutions, it’s crucial to pose well-crafted questions. A smart question is one that provides essential context and directly addresses the issue at hand. Occasionally, as software engineers or individuals working on a task, we find ourselves navigating uncharted territory. Many times, we’re unsure about which questions to pose, which can be intimidating and deter us from seeking help. To overcome this hurdle, it’s beneficial to assess our progress and identify any gaps in our understanding. Collect all the relevant information and context before approaching someone for assistance, thus optimizing the efficiency of the help-seeking process.
The Red Pill
On Stack Overflow, I came across a prime example of a well-constructed question. The user in question was facing difficulties while using the “Find All” function in the 2022 Visual Studio. They provided additional context by mentioning that they knew the key existed within the file, yet the function wasn’t yielding the desired results. Furthermore, they explained their ability to locate it using an alternative method - searching within the current document. This user presented precise details, avoiding any assumptions and refrained from assigning blame for the issue. They even questioned if the error might be related to a misstep during the configuration step after a clean installation. This smartly framed question garnered helpful responses, with fellow developers appreciating the clarity and specificity of the problem presented. Criticism was minimal as the author’s question was well-crafted and easily comprehensible.
The Blue Pill
In this specific Stack Overflow post, the developer has shared a code snippet featuring a for loop. The loop initializes at i = 2, increments with each iteration, and terminates when i becomes less than or equal to the square root of an integer n. My assessment categorizes this as a less-than-ideal question due to the fact that the developer’s query could easily be resolved through code testing and minimal research. A question with a straightforward solution achievable through a simple test can significantly expedite the problem-solving process for everyone involved. Furthermore, besides being a question with a straightforward answer, it also contains typographical errors. Even if this was a simple question to answer, the post could have added more context and provide the developer’s thoughts on what might happen and why the developer might be right or wrong. By providing information like these can help the replier some insight on how experienced the developer is. Having the reader know if they’re helping a professional or a beginner in programming would know if they’re help is being wasted by a professional developer or a student who is aspiring to become a successful programmer.