Software Recommendations

hichris123

19:01

@Pops You still haven't answered my question... :P

Pops

Oh! Sorry. The featured post shows up in the "Community Bulletin" sidebar box.

hichris123

Oh, I see it now. Huh, so there's no difference between [featured] and just regular meta posts that are in there?

And you didn't answer when AI is launching @Pops. :P

jokerdino

if it is featured, it will be on top of the bulletin for a solid 2 weeks. Else, it will circle around meta posts with 4 votes or more.

Pops

I'm sorry, you have exhausted your supply of questions for the current timespan. Please wait for sufficient time units to pass for your question allotment to be replenished.

3

hichris123

@Pops WHY CAN'T I ASK QUESTIONS? WHY DO I HAVE A Q BAN? :( Spammer stats?

Pops

19:07

Sorry, you may only ask x questions per y time units. Timer reset.

Stack Exchange

1

Q: How should we vote on good answers with (in my opinion) bad recommendations?

I have been meaning to ask this question ever since the private beta started, but now a good example came up. In this question I have posted an answer myself and Bernhard has posted an answer recommending a different vector drawing program. I think the answer is well written so normally that wo...

1

Q: Why are so few answers accepted?

Of the questions listed, many don't have accepted answers -- even if there are many and/or good answers. I know that often software recommendations can be a grey zone, and it is hard (if not impossible) to find a definite answer. Still, I think that, if questions have answers that fit the asked r...

discussion accepted-answer

Seth

What's up with madtux spamming meta?

hichris123

209

Q: What can I do when getting "We are no longer accepting questions/answers from this account"?

Do not repost the question you were about to ask until you have READ EVERYTHING WE ARE ABOUT TO TELL YOU. While trying to ask a question, one could get: We are no longer accepting questions from this account. See the Help Center to learn more. Likewise, for answers: We are no longe...

support faq asking-questions post-ban

Undo

Very very iffy on this question:

0

Q: Do any of the tools that claim to run x86 Windows applications under RT work?

I have seen suggestions in the press that there are packages that enable x86 Windows 8/8.1 applications to be run on a Microsoft Surface with the ARM processor running the RT version of Windows. This is something I would like to be able to do but I suspect the emulation is well short of perfect....

windows-8 windows-rt microsoft-surface

Seth

opinion based IMO, and NARQ, since he isn't asking us to suggest software, he is asking if it works.

Undo

19:14

@Seth wishes he had NARQ back

Seth

I wish that too. The older close reasons were harsh, but they worked.

Undo

@Seth So it's POB?

Seth

@Undo IMO yes

or just OT

Undo

makes sense to me

jokerdino

I am not an expert in this but isn't Judith a feminine name?

hichris123

19:16

I'm saying Unclear, because what is the person talking about?

Seth

@jokerdino Yes, generally (like 99.99% of the time)

Undo

I'm going to be gone for the next four hours, cya folks!

Seth

@hichris123 I guess unclear might have been better.

Stack Exchange

2

Q: (Eventually) should questions be closed if they *become* 'list' or 'polling' questions?

I should have known that the SE dogma would be perpetuated even in a new (beta) site that seems tailor-made for 'list' or 'polling' questions. I mean, look at this horrible question – Photo editing software for Windows?. Of course it should be closed! The nerve of such an overly broad question. I...

discussion

0

Q: Do we really need a [mac] tag?

I recently received a suggested edit on one of my posts (which I had tagged osx) adding in a new mac tag, which has only been used once before. Do we really need this tag? Isn't the osx tag enough?

discussion tags

Seth

too broad:

8

Q: Photo editing software for Windows?

I need to edit some images in Windows. I plan to do more than simple things (not just color / contrast correction, but removing spots and filling-in missing areas). Don't have memory / GPU / CPU constraints. The only constraint would be the price: I'm not willing to pay more than $400 in US. Th...

windows photography photo-editing

dotVezz

19:32

So here's a question that i expect to be dumb, but I'll ask anyway:

Is there some goal the site is to meet before it goes into public beta?

Pops

Just hand wavy ones like "be growing in a healthy way."

There can't be exact numbers, because Obscure Software Framework For Professional Accountants SE is never going to match Pets SE for, say, questions per day.

Stack Exchange

0

Q: How to ask a Good Question about anything for which there are more than a dozen possible recommendations?

Is this site just off limits to anything for which there are many recommendations? Consider the question Photo editing software for Windows?. There are already three close votes. The answers aren't uniformly great, but what possible question could be asked about photo-editing software for Windows...

discussion

dotVezz

20:06

@Pops Yeah, figured it'd be something like that.

Stack Exchange

1

Q: Remove "Primarly Opinion Based" Close Reason

I think we should remove the "primarily opinion based" close option and replace it with something else that is more helpful for this site. Any software recommendation, almost by definition, is going to be opinion based. Example: Q: I am looking for software that does x, any suggestions? A1: I ...

discussion

Gilles

21:17

@dotVezz be of sufficient quality

there's no metric for that

also have sufficient traffic, but that's not going to be an issue here. Many sites go public with ~100 questions.

@StackExchange how do people come up with such utterly silly ideas?

Seth

I need more votes.

juergen d

@Seth: Downvotes?

Seth

@juergend both

Gilles

@juergend both

I have a list with 11 meta posts to vote on tomorrow

dotVezz

I'm in the same boat as the rest of you. =(

allquixotic

21:25

I haven't exhausted my anything votes or answers or whatever -- I've spent most of my time typing

in case you can't tell, I answer in novel or encyclopedia format

it's fairly well received on SU, so I figured, why not bring my encyclopedia-generating skills here...

Seth

@allquixotic Yep.

Epilogue. Love that lol.

allquixotic

I type at a fairly fast clip of ~115 WPM, too

I'm the kinda guy who could sit down and write out a senior undergraduate-level academic paper that's at least worthy of a B+ in about 4 hours

MadTux

@allquixotic What do you think of that data compression question?

Seth

I was just going to ask that.

MadTux

maybe allquitoxic ran away . . .

Seth

21:34

-5

Q: Space-efficient freeware file compressor?

Please recommend the most space-efficient lossless file compressor for general use, satisfying the following additional criteria: Compresses files and directories (can contain an internal directory structure). Should be designed to be efficient with input file sizes from around 1 to 200 MB. Pas...

file-compression

Opinions?

MadTux

oh

how did you do that?

Seth

just posted the link :)

It's called "oneboxing" or "one boxing".

MadTux

cool

@Seth I just saw your 2h old comment about me spamming meta full -- well, you know, when penguins get exited about new betas they start chattering around and asking questions :>

Seth

I can't close that as too broad, I can't see how it is too broad, so I'm voting to leave open.

MadTux

can you vote to leave something open?

Seth

21:38

@MadTux Yes, that is true. I know several penguins :)

@MadTux softwarerecs.stackexchange.com/review/close

MadTux

thanks!

one lives and learns

Seth

np :)

MadTux

Oh ******* #&@#€¢ it's late! I'd better get to bed

bye

Gilles

@Seth I'm not out of close votes, so done

Seth

@Gilles but how is it too broad?

I can see how it is many other things.. but not too broad.

Gilles

21:49

@Seth almost any compression software will do

Seth

hmm. ok.

Now.. Do we need version tags? Like windows-7 or windows-8? Can't that stuff just be put in the question itself?

allquixotic

@MadTux i was out walking with a coworker

@MadTux considering I basically re-wrote it from the ground up, I think it's "fine", but it'll always be a sort of one-upsmanship race to find the most efficient compressor... imagine if this question had existed since the 90s... an answer from '94 saying PKZIP is the best; an answer from 2000 saying RAR is the best; an answer from 2007 saying LZMA is the best; etc.

Stack Exchange

0

Q: What is so bad about this question?

This question: Most space-efficient freeware file compressor? got 6 downvotes, but I don't understand what is so terribly bad about it. It asks for a good file compressor with certain criteria listed in the question. As far as I understand, it is a perfectly good question.

discussion question-quality asking-questions

dotVezz

@Seth I would posit that windows-7 vs windows-8 tags will need to be handled in a similar way Linux distributions.

0

Q: Should we have tags for separate Linux distributions?

I'm going through the Suggested Edit queue, and I'm seeing a lot of removals of the ubuntu tag. This question is one example. Since the asker is specifically asking for something for Ubuntu, I feel it's appropriate to keep the tag for that distribution. But what does the community think? Should...

discussion tags

I'm of the opinion that they're good, but apparently I'm in a minority. Generic linux seems to be what has momentum. Either way, I think that windows tags should be handled the same for consistency.

Seth

@dotVezz I and I agree with the "Most definitely not!" answer. I think limiting it to just one distro or version starts to get too specific. We will start getting 3 of the same questions, "I need it for OpenSUSE", "I need it for Arch", "I need it for Ubuntu".

Not to mention, most Linux software is cross-distro/platform whatever.

Same goes for Windows.

dotVezz

22:05

Yeah, I see where you're coming from

Stack Exchange

0

Q: Educational Games

Can we put educational games as an answer for question like this? Android application to learn English for small kids Maybe should I make this clear in my question, that I'm not asking for games for kids, because without this users can close my questions as offtopic?

discussion games

Seth

OK :)

Is this true?

I thought we decided game recommendations belong on Arqade.. — Seth 10 secs ago

allquixotic

@Seth who's "we"? how do we definitively decide things and set them in stone (or at least as rigid as set jello)? we can't ask mods or SE employees, because in almost all cases, they'll say "that's up to the community to decide".

this is a glaring and major problem across all SE sites I've ever participated in, but especially in the early-going. we have no formal decision-making process.

dotVezz

7

Q: Would video game related question be ontopic?

When it comes to video games, some people that i know personally don't consider them as software while i do and game recommendations are off topic on Arqade. Assuming that a user posts a detailed question would video game recommendation questions be on topic? if so would consoles be included as w...

discussion

It was definitely discussed in meta

allquixotic

some people can go along thinking that there's a consensus in one area when there's very little or no consensus at all, while other groups think the opposite. who's right and who's wrong? somebody complains about something and it ends up hitting a mod, and the mod either has to decide on the spot (aka make it up as they go along), or poll the community, etc. it sucks.

Seth

22:11

@allquixotic I thought Tim Post said that..

Gilles

@Seth Arqade doesn't do game recommendations

but I don't think we should do them here

this site plays along SU and SO, which is already broad

allquixotic

@Seth said what?

Seth

@Gilles Oh.. okay. comment deleted

Gilles

at least all the recommendations in this range are about solving a concrete problem

Seth

@allquixotic I thought he said that in his area51 post, but I can't find it now.. so

Gilles

22:12

game recommendations are a different breed: there the “problem” is “entertain me”

dotVezz

@Gilles I see where you're coming from, but if Arquade doesn't do game recommendations then there's at least an argument for doing it here. Although personally I agree that they shouldn't be here.

I'm so self-contradictory >_>

Gilles

game recommendations should be on gamerecs.SE

which I think should include both computer and non-computer games

allquixotic

lol. gamerecs.

I read that as gamere (like French gamer? idk) Computer Science

dotVezz

Ah, that's a good point - games aren't necessarily only software, they can be hardware as well

allquixotic

gamerecs will never get off the ground if swrecs doesn't, though

dotVezz

22:14

I like that point.

Seth

I think this is a dilemma. We don't want game recs (some of us anyway, myself included), but we don't have anywhere to send them..

Gilles

so?

allquixotic

@Seth welcome to SE! where we throw away questions and don't recommend anywhere else to put them.

Gilles

we can send them to Area 51

allquixotic

until swrecs private beta, there was no place to put software-rec questions on superuser (for instance)

Gilles

22:14

like any other off-topic question that's also off-topic elsewhere

Seth

@Gilles I don't like that idea.. a whole site just for game recommendations?

Gilles

@Seth no, that's clearly too broad

there should be a site for handheld console platform scrolling game recommendations, a site for card-based fighting game recommendations, and so on

Seth

excuse me, typo.

Stack Exchange

0

Q: Have we got any design ideas?

I read about design in The 7 Essential Meta Questions of Every Beta, so: Do we have any ideas about design? Any motifs throughout the site? (Yeah, I know, this is probably a bit early, but it can't harm to think about it a bit, can it?) One idea I had is a magnifying glass theme (as a symbol for...

discussion design

Gilles

@StackExchange oh, will they update the damn “7 essential meta questions” already?

they've been obsolete for years

allquixotic

22:18

Question for good utility is too broad (there are many good tools), I want to narrow this question to most efficient utilities. But in my opinion, this is not the problem. People dosen't want to help each other here, instead of comment and help with question they simply donvote, without giving any advice. This not make this place better for us. This creates irritated users and crappy questions. — MariuszS 7 mins ago

STOP DONVOTING ME! STOP DONVOTING ME! {;-o((((((((((

apparently his "w" key doesn't work

Gilles

@MariuszS One user created the question here, and it's you. You had several comments, and chose not to address them. That is the problem. — Gilles 8 secs ago

allquixotic

@Gilles if anything, I addressed half the critiques pointed at his OP with my own edits... 'course a few still remain, but yeah

and i have a sneaking suspicion he serially downvoted me after my first comment

(i got a bunch of downvotes on my stuff like, 30 seconds after i posted that comment)

Gilles

@allquixotic if he did that, it'll be reversed during the night

but you might want to flag it anyway just in case (and also to let the mods know)

Seth

It is so annoying to be out of votes.. "Bad question! Downvote it!" Oops..

allquixotic

it's enough things all in a bunch that it's likely to be reversed. if it is reversed, I'll know who it is. if it's not reversed then it wasn't the same person and I just suck

which is equally likely

Seth

22:26

@allquixotic You won't really know who it is, it could be a star trek hater for instance.

allquixotic

a star trek hater? these people exist on a private SE beta site? whoa..

Seth

You never know ;)

allquixotic

@Seth you like TNG, don't you?

Stack Exchange

0

Q: Can I ask for recommended websites?

I may want to ask for websites where I can find recommended music the way IMDB is a good site for Movie information. Or I want a website where I can read Firefox OS news, in a similar format to OMG! Ubuntu! Or I may want to ask is there an alternative to the Google Play website for Android App...

discussion

allquixotic

i can't get a certain line out of my head and i have no idea where it came from and i'd love to know which episode... it's Data angrily shouting, "Maybe the problem is YOU!" and pointing at the person aggressively

Seth

22:36

Like is very relative... I don't "like" Star Trek (or TNG) in particular (I don't watch much TV at all) but that doesn't mean I won't watch it given the chance occasionally.

@allquixotic Never heard that quote :-/

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