Technical documentation can be unhelpful as it sometimes leaves out a lot of surrounding context. So even if you’ve got the docs it can be unclear how to apply what they say as so much other knowledge is assumed by the authors.
This is understandable as they tend to be written by people who know the thing inside out and backwards, but there can be a gulf between the beginner getting started guides (if any) and the proper docs, that only reading/asking questions can properly fill.
Very true. I think Stackoverflow questions provide context that tends to be missing in most technical documentation. Many times starting in SO and ending in the docs is more practical than just starting in the docs.
This is understandable as they tend to be written by people who know the thing inside out and backwards, but there can be a gulf between the beginner getting started guides (if any) and the proper docs, that only reading/asking questions can properly fill.