I didn't think about this before until I crossed on Working in Public[ @eghbal2020 Working in public: the making and maintenance of open source software ]. Many projects hosted on Github or other online public repo (and this reflection even works for proprietary software), rely on StackOverflow to answer questions. It is important to note that many of the questions are not issues but doubts : How can I do this with Python?

The advantage of StackOverflow is that it is completely open. The disadvantage is that it works with a rewards system that may not be compatible with the values of the original project. Moreover, it does not build a proper community, since people end up scattered between platforms.

I think this could hint at what the next step of Github is going to be: Integrating knowledge sharing .

Also: What is StackOverflow business model ?