On a question's localness

rintaun

Jul 15, 2011 23:13

The problem with your question has nothing to do with "how cool you are" or "how much the ladies love you" because of your translations or how "those guys are rockstars and i'm supposed to be jealous.

language hacker

you think that computer hackers know all their stuff from listening to nerdy phd professors?

rintaun

The problem is that your question isn't a good fit for the Q&A format at Stack Exchange.

language hacker

I didn't see any dudes complaining when I asked about Lady Gaga's song.

rintaun

This isn't just a place where you come to get your questions answered. Those questions should also be useful to other people in the future.

2

language hacker

I think it will be helpful

but

rintaun

Jul 15, 2011 23:15

I understand that. We obviously disagree on that point.

language hacker

I don't see how you can quantify the value of a question based on how many

people will look it up later

rintaun

I can see your question being useful exactly zero times after it has been answered.

language hacker

so what if one other person is going to be interested in my question. is that good enough for you?

rintaun

One other person is probably still not good enough.

language hacker

so where do you draw the line

3, 5, 10...?

who decides what the magic number is?

rintaun

Jul 15, 2011 23:16

At an abstract, undefined, and inherently subjective point

language hacker

see it can't be defined

1 should be good enough.

rintaun

That is your opinion, and you are entitled to it.

language hacker

my opinion is right

rintaun

That is why Stack Exchange is democratic; because there will undoubtedly be different opinions on where that line should be drawn.

language hacker

I like democracy

rintaun

Jul 15, 2011 23:18

You seem very selective of when you like democracy. ;)

language hacker

I don't see why there is even this problem of "too localized"

it doesn't exist on other sites

rintaun

Other sites are not this site.

language hacker

look at the successful stackexchange sites like stackoverflow

they never complain about that

rintaun

Yes they do.

language hacker

I ask all kinds of questions over there

I never heard "too localized"

rintaun

Jul 15, 2011 23:19

Quite a few questions get closed as too localized.

language hacker

the only thing they ever did was

move my question to superuser

rintaun

Congratulations! That means you're asking the right kind of questions on those other sites. Now you just need to do that here, too.

language hacker

I've never seen what you're talking about, and I ask all kinds of questions. I don't even try to make them general

I say, "this is my problem, now how do I fix it."

people either answer if they know or they don't answer

or they move my question to superuser.

rintaun

Yes, and if your problem will be a problem that others will have in the future (which is much different with programming than with language), then it's just fine.

Ken Li

歌詞ってどの言語でも翻訳しにくいと思う

language hacker

Jul 15, 2011 23:24

Look at this old question I asked. stackoverflow.com/questions/3598638/…

only 12 views and no answers. but no one complained.

rintaun

That's because your question isn't inherently bad. Simply nobody has chosen to answer it.

language hacker

I noticed that it's the unpopular sites that waste time on this imaginary problem of "too localized."

rintaun

That is a different issue entirely.

language hacker

I'm asking about something obscure there.

The solution will only be helpful for that obscure thing I'm asking about.

But my question is still up. No one tried to delete it.

rintaun

0

Q: FindAllBy id in second level

Having the following models: continent (continent_id, name) country (country_id, name) belongs to continent city (city_id, name) belongs to country I want to select all the cities in a continent using the findAllBy function: $this->City->findAllByContinent_Id(1);

cakephp

language hacker

Jul 15, 2011 23:28

This song is not nearly as obscure as what I'm asking about over there.

rintaun

It isn't an issue of whether the song you're asking about, or the artist that sings it is popular or well known or obscure or not

language hacker

Weird. I ask questions like that all the time and my stuff never gets closed down like that.

rintaun

It's that the question you're asking is too specific.

It will not ever help anybody in the future, pretty much hands down

language hacker

All my questions on stackoverflow are specific. I found that if I speak too generally people can't help me and they ask me to clarify.

2

rintaun

The answer your question seeks is "The subject of all three sentences is the singer himself."

That is not ever helpful to anybody

If that isn't the answer you want, then ask a different question.

language hacker

Jul 15, 2011 23:31

Are you saying that's the answer?

rintaun

Rephrase it so that you're asking the question you actually want an answer to.

That was an example of the type of answer which would answer your question in full. As it was simply meant as an example of form, it may or may not be correct.

language hacker

How do you type things in bold.

rintaun

**bold**

language hacker

test

I want to know who the subject is in those three sentences. I don't care if someone in the future finds it useful or not. I find it useful now.

rintaun

And that is why I downvoted it; because that type of question is not suitable for the SE Q&A format.

And that is, as they say, that.

language hacker

Jul 15, 2011 23:33

no it's not

why is it not suitable?

rintaun

Read the FAQ.

Your question may be better received on another website, such as Yahoo! Answers.

language hacker

heh

It says in the FAQ

highlighted

You should only ask practical, answerable questions based on actual problems that you face.

that's my question baby!

rintaun

Yep

Keep reading, baby.

language hacker

It's not some theoretical generalized nonsense

it's the real deal. it's a real question.

rintaun

That's fine. It doesn't have to be to be an acceptable question.

Real questions are perfectly fine.

They should also be useful questions.

language hacker

Jul 15, 2011 23:36

It's useful to me.

rintaun

I can see that we're not getting anywhere.

We'll just let the community decide about your question. If someone wants to answer it, they will.

language hacker

I read the rest

rintaun

Good day.

language hacker

I didn't find the part that says my question is bad

hah you're running away

Ken Li

I think this debate is pointless IMO, it's just a site in the end lol

language hacker

Jul 15, 2011 23:41

笑

Japanese Language

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