Looking for a community/forum where I can learn more about networking, code, security, and OS-independent CS topics

December 18, 2011 9:31 AM

I'm looking for a forum where I can ask questions about networking, security, coding, operating systems, web design, etc. There are many of these out there, but I'd like to find a single community which covers all these topics more or less equally (so it isn't a Linux forum with a small section on BSD, or a coding forum with a small section on networking). I'd like it to be the sort of forum where users stay around for several years as they learn and contribute at different levels, with high literacy and education-to-spam levels. Could I have your recommendations please?
posted by westerly to computers & internet (9 answers total)

ask.metafilter?
posted by H. Roark at 9:33 AM on December 18, 2011

You're not going to find a single community, but the stackoverflow family of sites should do what you need.
posted by Leon at 9:40 AM on December 18, 2011 [2 favorites]

Seconding Leon.
posted by Kwine at 10:04 AM on December 18, 2011

Specifically Server Fault for server-based things and Super User for other power-user computer stuff.
posted by katrielalex at 10:43 AM on December 18, 2011 [1 favorite]

networking, security, coding, operating systems, web design, etc.

That's a pretty scattered selection of big areas, even before you get to the "etc." part. Are you perhaps falling into the mental trap that these are all "computer things?" Because they're really way, way various.

Take away the computer angle and you have something like "I want something that covers plumbing, police investigation, linguistics, medicine and ballet dancing, etc."

Now, you probably wouldn't expect to find that in one place, would you?

Stack Overflow, Superuser and Server Fault are all good suggestions. You're going to end up with a little bookmark folder full of several sites here, sorry.
posted by rokusan at 11:15 AM on December 18, 2011 [1 favorite]

StackExchange (link to the full list of sites) is exactly what you're looking for -- there's a whole set of topics they cover even outside of technology.
posted by june made him a gemini at 11:36 AM on December 18, 2011

Also if you find a particular subject not fully covered by the current Stacks, you can create and manage your own.
posted by june made him a gemini at 11:38 AM on December 18, 2011

Yeah, I think we'd all love to find that place, but Usenet just hasn't been the same since September...

Have you tried anandtech? Everyone I've dealt with over there has been pretty knowledgeable and friendly. The only category you may find them lacking in for you is probably web design.
posted by word_virus at 1:52 PM on December 18, 2011

Ars Technica's Open Forum?
posted by RandyWalker at 9:59 AM on December 19, 2011 [1 favorite]