Jarren Seson

How to Ask Questions and Get Insightful Answers

12 Sep 2024

What is a Smart Question?

There are several criteria that a question must meet to be well-received by the community and ultimately benefit not only yourself but also others. Before asking a question, you should search for the solution to the problem on your own. Demonstrating effort to solve the issue yourself is essential, as asking a question that thousands of others have already asked (and received the same answer for) will likely be poorly received.

When asking a question, first ensure that you post it in the correct forum. The question should align with the forum’s subject matter, and it should only be posted in one forum to avoid cross-posting. Additionally, ensure that the subject header is specific yet concise. A common format for subject headers is the object-deviation format, where the “object” refers to the subject of the problem, and the “deviation” describes the issue.

Make it easy for others to reply—avoid asking users to send answers via email. Use proper grammar and spelling to convey professionalism and clarity. The main goal is to be specific and concise. When describing the problem, include the following details:

When posting code, avoid including the entire project. Instead, provide a smaller snippet that isolates the issue, along with a comparison of your expectations versus the actual results.

What is a Stupid Question?

There is a smart way to ask questions, and there is a stupid way. Stupid questions are typically ignored in online forums, leaving the issue unresolved. The primary issue with such questions is ambiguity. Important factors such as the operating system, environment, and events leading up to the problem are often omitted, leaving others confused and prompting more questions—something that should be avoided.

On the other hand, some posts go into excessive detail. While it’s essential to be thorough, no one wants to read a six-page essay about a problem.

Another hallmark of a stupid question is a lack of effort from the asker. This includes not researching the problem beforehand or failing to show any attempts to resolve it. Simply throwing the question at others without taking any initiative discourages people from helping.

A Good Question

Here’s an example of a good question from a Stack Overflow thread. In the thread, the user describes an issue with implicit conversion in C. Their goal was to implement a function that calculates a 16-bit checksum for a given byte array using a specified formula. They explain that the implementation didn’t yield the expected result.

The user attempted to solve the issue, theorizing that a variable was being implicitly converted to another type. They further investigated by analyzing the output of a specific statement, which supported their theory. While they eventually provided a solution, they still didn’t understand why the implicit conversion occurred and asked for clarification.

In this example, the subject header succinctly describes the language and problem, giving others a quick summary. In the body, the user includes isolated snippets of code, avoiding unnecessary clutter. They also describe their analysis and the steps they took to troubleshoot, demonstrating effort. Ultimately, this is a perfect example of a smart question because it focuses on understanding the root cause rather than merely asking for a solution.

A Bad Question

Here’s an example of a bad question from a Stack Overflow thread. In the thread, the user splits a string, stores it in a character array, and attempts to convert it into a string using Integer.parseInt.

This question is problematic for several reasons:

  1. It’s one of the most frequently asked questions on Stack Overflow and has been answered countless times.
  2. It’s an extremely simple issue that could easily be resolved by consulting the Java documentation.

Overall, the clear lack of effort to solve such a simple, well-documented problem discourages others from replying, making it a bad question.

Why Should Software Engineers Ask Good Questions?

All major discoveries in history began with a smart question. For example, Albert Einstein asked, “What if the laws of physics are the same for all observers, regardless of their motion?” This question led to groundbreaking discoveries, including Avogadro’s number, the quantum theory of light, the special theory of relativity, the photoelectric effect, wave-particle duality, and more. These discoveries have contributed to everyday technologies such as GPS, lasers, and photoelectric devices.

This idea of progress starting with a smart question also applies to software engineering. For example, Donald Knuth’s contributions to Big O notation and algorithm analysis were driven by insightful questions. Without his work, software algorithms would be far less efficient today.

In conclusion, asking smart questions inspires thought and drives innovation forward.