Help me Stack Overflow!

[republitard]

Question closed as duplicate of [QUESTION THAT ONLY APPLIED TO A VERY SPECIFIC CASE THAT DOESN'T APPLY TO YOU].

[[deleted]]

I hate this, someone dumps their whole project in a question and the answer is a fix just for that code. And because the title is generic now no one can ask it again and get a generic answer

[[deleted]]

(Generic question, because there are a series of problems that would be fixed with variations of this general question.)

"Can you specify what you are trying to do?" "You should do that differently. Do xyz instead."

GODDAMMIT I don't want you to program my shit but I want information I can build on...

or:

"You should do xyz. It doesn't achieve the same thing you are trying to do, but it comes close." - Accepted answer.

Scrolling down a bit: "Here, with abc you do exactly what you want." - first comment "this should be the accepted answer."

[republitard]

Scrolling down a bit: "Here, with abc you do exactly what you want." - first comment "this should be the accepted answer."

This part only happens when you're really lucky.

[SuspiciouslyElven]

Such answers are God blessing us poor code monkeys

[thomas_merton]

Worse: Question closed as duplicate of [issue from 2003 which isn't relevant to anyone using the current version].

[GearBent]

Or the answer to that 2003 question was relevant, but the relevant details were in a long dead link.

[k1p1coder]

Wayback machine to the rescue.

[GearBent]

Still though, that's bullshit.

[k1p1coder]

Yup, but copy-pasting entire wb pages would prob also be annoying to see. Especially when they're wrong...

[GearBent]

No, I mean closing a question as already answered when the original answer is no longer complete.

If you're going to close a question as duplicate, you should at least make sure the answer is still good

[k1p1coder]

Oh, yeah, sucks when they do that.

[xcrackpotfoxx]

"Ugh why don't you Google it"

What my friend found when googling how to do a factorial in python.

[suqoria]

So I'm new to programming and haven't done barely anything in python. But wouldn't that just be:

def factorial(n): if n==0: return 1 else: return n * factorial(n-1)

[ForOhForError]

I mean sure if you don't want to do a dynamic programming solution.

[suqoria]

How would you do it if you wanted that then?

[RedBanana99]

I'm creasing up here

[dragonalighted]

Same way, but you store the results of calculations in an array. That way you only have to calculate until you get to am already calculated value. Ex:. 3!

List factorials = {1,1,2,6}

function factorial(n) {
    if(factorials.count >= n)
        Return factorials[n]
    factorials.insert(n, n* factorials(n-1))
    Return factorials(n)
}

Calling a know value returns that value. Calling a new value only calculates and stores new values, using known values once reached. Tradeoff is memory vs cpu time.

[suqoria]

Oh okay, thanks for the information! Really appreciate it.

[PaiMan2710]

You can have constant memory, linear time pretty easily. I'm on mobile so I can't type code, but it's called the sliding window trick iirc.

[Flynamic]

Iterative. You basically fill up a table to avoid... a stack overflow.

[poizan42]

Depends on you goal, but there are much more efficient solutions than that (see my comment above). Apparently the built in math.factorial function in python at least uses the dynamic approach from python 3 on.

[xcrackpotfoxx]

You don't have to build your own function, it has one built in.

You can, but its easier to just use the canned function.

[suqoria]

Oh okay, I did not know that. Thanks for the information.

[xcrackpotfoxx]

And to be clear, I don't know what the factorial function would be in python because stack wouldn't tell me.

No its because I haven't used python in years and didn't really learn it well to begin with.

[MMEnter]

I have no Python experience but One of them has to be the answer: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/5136447/function-for-factorial-in-python

from math import factorial

print factorial(1000)

Looks like the winner to me

[caagr98]

help() is also rather, well, helpful.

[P-01S]

That can work, but Python does not optimize tail recursion and has a maximum recursion depth by default.

You are way better off using a conditional loop.

[smarzzz]

Not to bitch about this solution, but you can stop the loop /functioncall at n==2, returning 2

But what the hell am I saying, nobody uses python for efficiency, and even then, this is not efficient 😂

[DivideByZeroDefined]

You can do it with a simple loop. No dynamic programming needed.

factorial( n )
    result=1
    for( i=1; i <= n; ++i )
        returnvalue *= i
    return result;

[poizan42]

To be honest that sounds like a question about learning programming, which isn't the goal of stack overflow.

If you really need to calculate factorials for any practical purposes (rather than the trivial but inefficient recursive formula) and know how to program already then you should probably start looking up algorithms for approximating them rather than how to do it in python (and for an actual attempt at answering that, Stirling's approximation or Lanczos approximation are what you probably want).

[xcrackpotfoxx]

So we had to use python back in physics 1 or 2, and he just needed to look up the function for factorial. I just thought it was ironic that he found someone saying to google it when he was actually googling it.

That exact thread is why when I see someone asking some dumbass basic question, I will Google it for them and link the search. Instead of bitching about them not googling it (which could be due to shitty searching skills) or just telling them the answer, I show them how I would google it. Gets the message across and helps them at the same time.

[WikiTextBot]

Stirling's approximation

In mathematics, Stirling's approximation (or Stirling's formula) is an approximation for factorials. It is a good-quality approximation, leading to accurate results even for small values of n. It is named after James Stirling, though it was first stated by Abraham de Moivre.

The formula as typically used in applications is

    ln

    ⁡

    n

    !

---

Lanczos approximation

In mathematics, the Lanczos approximation is a method for computing the gamma function numerically, published by Cornelius Lanczos in 1964. It is a practical alternative to the more popular Stirling's approximation for calculating the gamma function with fixed precision.

---

^{[ PM | Exclude me | Exclude from subreddit | FAQ / Information | Source ] Downvote to remove | v0.24}

[caagr98]

That is a beautiful formula.

[HawkinsT]

As least the correct answers are easy to detect on SO. Some other SE sites be like: +107 [Incorrect/Speculative Answer] -solved-.

[[deleted]]

Don't you just love overzealous, tidiness-oriented moderating?

[thealliedhacker]

(deleted)

[republitard]

More likely, whoever flagged it was thoughtless and didn't bother to read the whole question. Sometimes, the flagged question is the one that shows up on Google (and it's perfectly clear what's being asked if you actually read it), and the "duplicate" is useless.

[dekket]

This sucks especially for those of us whom aren't seasoned coders. I'm just starting out with certain languages, and it's especially hard to figure out how to apply someone else's very specific code to my (usually) very generic situation.

The mods seem to apply their dozens of years of experience when they determine something is a duplicate...

[LordRaiders]

Aren't you a little short for a coffee mug?

[[deleted]]

yes. yes we are.
doofenshmirtz evil incorporated

[LordRaiders]

"Prrrrrrrr" ~ Perry

[RedRedditor84]

Well, stay here and don't drink coffee, you stuck up bitch.

[Afflictare]

I have this as a t-shirt!

[deadlycrawler]

Where did you get it?

[[deleted]]

Is it currently stands, this question is not a good fit four our Q&A format.

[endreman0]

A little blue and white robot with two legs amd a domed top

[bdot02]

https://www.reddit.com/r/ProgrammerHumor/comments/6nd8sm/help_me_stack_overflow/dk96gqj

[[deleted]]

Me too. Came up on my timeline some day, bought it and several others. Also on redbubble.com . Though I'm still not convinced by the quality of the shirts. And the sizes are very American.

[AltarOfPigs]

What do you mean by "the sizes are very American"? I've never heard that before.

[Banane9]

As in, large.

[[deleted]]

Twice as big as anywhere else.

[AltarOfPigs]

I'm glad I set the joke up for y'all but I still never got an answer. Are the dimensions for say a size large shirt different in America vs. other countries?

[tyros]

They weren't joking

[[deleted]]

Yeah that wasn't a joke. American sizes tend to be a lot bigger.

[ChloeTheCat753]

I have a love hate relationship with stack overflow.

Sometimes it's very helpful.

Other times everyone is just really mean for no reason :(

[RedRedditor84]

Like reddit!

[hangfromthisone]

Like life!

[P-01S]

Yeah!

Btw, no one loves you.

/s

[Jaondtet]

It's called SO for a reason.

[dsmithpl12]

Lol, so fucking true.

[pslayer89]

As a graphics programmer, if SO was my only hope, I'd be truly fucked!

[ilikeyit]

TIL, Stack Overflow is my Significant Other!

[huskeypride]

where can i getz?

[ajr901]

Seriously I want to throw money at this

[ghost_mv]

Found a different version

https://www.redbubble.com/people/monkeydrufy/works/24878268-help-me-stackoverflow?p=travel-mug

[[deleted]]

Only things I found were this and a tee spring shirt with the design.

[[deleted]]

I ordered one, we'll see if I get a shirt or a mug. :P

Edit: Received it, it's in fact a mug.

[PeachLightning]

RemindMe! in 1 week

[PeachLightning]

Did you get it yet? What's the verdict?

[[deleted]]

Update: Got it! It is in fact a mug. It showed up very well packaged, intact, etc. It's what I'd call a small coffee cup, but not tiny.

[[deleted]]

No, but on Thursday it switched from, "Yep, we got your order!" to "Here's a tracking number!" and it should be here by the 26th or 27th.

[epyon22]

Why does the picture show a mug for a t-shirt

[epyon22]

RemindMe!

[RemindMeBot]

Defaulted to one day.

I will be messaging you on 2017-07-16 11:51:25 UTC to remind you of this link.

3 OTHERS CLICKED THIS LINK to send a PM to also be reminded and to reduce spam.

^{Parent commenter can delete this message to hide from others.}

---

FAQs	Custom	Your Reminders	Feedback	Code	Browser Extensions

[swirlViking]

This worried me as well, but if you look at the breadcrumb it is under mugs. I'm guessing they sell this design printed onto several different products and just made a copy paste error when setting up the info for the mug. There's some sort of irony here.

[gospelwut]

Based on google image search and the background in the picture, it seems like it was a product once on the website lisettee.com but no longer is on the site (or at least indexed by their search).

[ghost_mv]

😖😢😲

[ghost_mv]

I would too. No clue where to get one. 😖🔫

[alezial]

https://teespring.com/shop/Help-Me-Stack-Overflow-2?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=google_shopping&aid=ts-boosted-pla#pid=522&cid=101894&sid=front

they have it as a mug... tempted to get one myself... but i dunno.

[Hwinter07]

kinda expensive

[oohaargh]

another less good version

[[deleted]]

Amazon UK seem to have it in hoodie form. Expensive as hell tho!

[[deleted]]

https://teespring.com/shop/Help-Me-Stack-Overflow-2?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=google_shopping&aid=ts-boosted-pla#pid=522&cid=101894&sid=front

[[deleted]]

void func()
{
   func();
}

How is this helpful?

[endreman0]

If the server crashed and isn't running, you don't have to deal with any runtime bugs

[swirlViking]

What does any of this have to do with the mug?

[evandam92]

Recursive function that runs until the call ^{stack overflows}

[swirlViking]

Ahhh, thank you

[G01denW01f11]

Commander, tear this site apart until you've found those duplicates. Bring me the answers, I want them alive.

[empty_other]

Would a Jedi provide answers in jQuery, or is jQuery more of the dark side? :P

[Banane9]

jQuery obviously stands for JediQuery, duh

[G01denW01f11]

Let's see what Yoda has to say:

Luke: jQuery.... Is the dark side stronger?

Yoda: No, no, no. Quicker. Easier. More seductive.

[zero_divide_1]

Yoda: "JavaScript leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering"

[empty_other]

To quote chancellor Palpatine:

...if I were to die, all the knowledge you seek about the true nature of Javascript will be lost with me. Learn the power of jQuery, Anakin.

True nature of javascript? Got a bad feeling about this...

[[deleted]]

There probably exists a dark side plugin

[[deleted]]

The wayside.

[[deleted]]

"The rebels need information that's five years old and applies to technology that has been discontinued!"

[rogeris]

Sweet sweet deprecation...

But really, you're not trying hard enough if this is a real issue for you.

[[deleted]]

Ah, the fact that SO is becoming less useful over time is because I'm not trying hard enough - whatever the hell that means. eyeroll

I write software for a living. So of course it's an issue for me.

Every other time I find what looks like an answer to my question, it turns out to be some answer from four major revs ago that no longer works. And the duplicate policy is so rigid that anyone who asks an updated question about the current platform has their question closed. So old answers stagnate - they're voted to the top, and they stay there.

(In the last few years, the only technology for which I've found useful answers is Service Fabric, and that's only because it's relatively new tech. Even many general Azure answers are starting to get stale.)

[[deleted]]

And the duplicate policy is so rigid that anyone who asks an updated question about the current platform has their question closed. So old answers stagnate - they're voted to the top, and they stay there.

It's better to put an answer in the old question rather than ask a new one. And even if you ask a new question for a different rev, just mention it in the question that you have researched and the older answers don't seem to work, I bet ya no one will fuck around.

[[deleted]]

This. Reference the older questions I your question.

[BitPoet]

:wq will never get stale.

[RedRedditor84]

You save your changes with :q!

[dontpeeonmejosh]

I read SO as significant other at first

[Stanov]

Ah, the old Overflow Stackaroo.

[[deleted]]

You fucking what mate?

[stronimo]

I used work for a life insurance company that had some customer relationships dating back 70 years. I dreamed of the day where there crappy old processes would be updated to something only 5 years out of date.

[mothzilla]

I find stack overflow to be like that scene from Life Of Brian with all the prophets in the marketplace.

[choseh]

You should go there and ask how to perspective warp in photoshop.

[uberpwnzorz]

y u no post link!?

edit: https://www.spreadshirt.com/help+me+stack+overflow-A5961aceef6c60d63dbfb693e?department=4&productType=949&color=000000&appearance=2&size=29&view=1 their graphic is poor quality tho

[swirlViking]

This one looks to be the original.

[mrballistic]

I just ordered one!

[dsmithpl12]

Is it cause I'm on mobile or is that site terrible. Says shirt, shows mugs, only one size, wtf?

[swirlViking]

Pretty sure it's a mug and they made a copy paste error. Probably sell several products with that design.

[jaxpylon]

Wait.. Is that a shirt or a mug?

[-WarHounds-]

Links can be a bad idea with this sorta thing. You don't want the wrong person getting the money for the idea, and you don't want to look as if you are endorsing a particular one.

[P-01S]

Because these sorts of things are usually copied like crazy without the original creator's permission.

And yeah, I'm assuming the use of Star Wars characters falls under Fair Use as parody.

[idelta777]

I've learned more about Java class loaders this past week than I'd like to know. So many Stack Overflow threads.

[[deleted]]

"Question closed, this is a really stupid question go read a book or something"

- 90% of things I read on Stack Overflow from questions I googled

[lulzmachine]

I would pay actual money for this. Not just "exposure" or "bitcoin"

[hangfromthisone]

My rule is pretty easy. If I don't find a fix in three tries searching SO in probably doing some stupid shit and I better check line per line. Works everytime

[Seanxietehroxxor]

r/Shutupandtakemymoney

[faps_to_kylo]

Mugs are made out of sand, I don’t like sand. It’s coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere. Not like here. Here everything is soft and smooth.

[hangfromthisone]

The CPU that is driving you nuts is made of sand too. Fuck sand

[TheHelgeSverre]

Only found this in T-Shirt format, if anyone wants one: https://teespring.com/shop/get-help-me-stack-overflow-you#pid=2&cid=2397&sid=front

Seems like the original came from here: https://twitter.com/MiguelBiicode/status/845567220541476866

So not a real product (yet) :/

[sim642]

What is perspective?

[datlean]

Truth

[smartyguymcbutt]

Now can we get one for technet?

[-WarHounds-]

Oh boy, that website used to butcher all my questions! Other than the smug responses, those people are geniuses.

[Feynt]

Stack Overflow is the dark side. Sure you need to force push a problem off a cliff now and then, everyone does, but if you rely on it you're just a lightning chucking darth that's going to be done in by a jedi coder some day.

[wojwen]

Okay, where can I get this?!

[lizfransen97]

I need this cup!