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I am confused! (Nothing unusual there then.  )
I realize that the Q&A comments system is a work in progress and that upcoming changes may answer this, but it is obvious from a quick trip through Q&A that people are using the comment facility where it might be better to use an answer, and vice versa. Have any guidelines been published setting out the teams' vision of how these features should be used?
Take the example of when Albert asks a question which Horace answers. Albert doesn't quite understand and so comments Horaces' answer. The clarification is short and so Horace replies by commenting Alberts' question to ensure that Albert is notified. The clarification turns into a can of worms raising a short question on a slight tangent. There are two obvious ways that Albert has to raise this short question:
1) post a new question referencing the current one, if necessary.
2) comment Horaces' answer once again since Horace is obviously up to date with the situation and might know the answer.
Three guesses which option Albert goes for?
Turns out the answer to this short question is too complex for a commentary reply, needs code or something, so Horace posts a new answer.
By this stage it is obvious that the whole shebang would have been better as a question in one of the regular programming forums, however, it's too late by now and we have a convoluted sequence with two answers, which, because the second one is tangential to the original question, is very difficult to follow. (A bit like this post.)
[Edit]
The reality is actually more complex than this.
[/Edit]
I have only one idea about how this can be resolved, if it is considered to need resolving. Well, actually, I have loads but most would be impractical.
The only thing that occurs immediately is to allow answers to answers, which would at least maintain the chronological sequence in a more easy to follow way. I realize that this would turn Q&A into something more like the current programming fora but I feel that something needs to be done.
Maybe the problem is that folks are taking the 'Quick Answers' title to indicate the likely speed of response, rather than that the question should be more simple.
Henry Minute
Do not read medical books! You could die of a misprint. - Mark Twain
Girl: (staring) "Why do you need an icy cucumber?"
“I want to report a fraud. The government is lying to us all.”
Why do programmers often confuse Halloween and Christmas?
Because 31 Oct = 25 Dec.
modified on Friday, June 4, 2010 7:53 AM
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The preferred method is actually (3)
Edit the original question to update it based on the discussion, and then post an anwwer (or edit an existing answer) to address the refined question.
cheers,
Chris Maunder
The Code Project | Co-founder
Microsoft C++ MVP
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Very philosophical.
Old Japanese proverb, "When the road forks, take the third way".
------------------------------------
I will never again mention that I was the poster of the One Millionth Lounge Post, nor that it was complete drivel. Dalek Dave
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You've just made that up!
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What's new?
Who do you think sends new word suggestions to Webster, so he can later target them with some obscure CCC clue?
Luc Pattyn [Forum Guidelines] [Why QA sucks] [My Articles]
I only read formatted code with indentation, so please use PRE tags for code snippets.
I'm not participating in frackin' Q&A, so if you want my opinion, ask away in a real forum (or on my profile page).
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Confusing forks and bifurcations is a common mistake. Even Neptune knew better, see here[^] and here[^].
Luc Pattyn [Forum Guidelines] [Why QA sucks] [My Articles]
I only read formatted code with indentation, so please use PRE tags for code snippets.
I'm not participating in frackin' Q&A, so if you want my opinion, ask away in a real forum (or on my profile page).
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Henry (or should I say Horace now?),
please take this one step further, and suggest a truly hierarchical message system, such as sometimes implemented in really good forums.
When you do, I will have to nominate you for the next Nobel price, in a category of your choice.
Luc Pattyn [Forum Guidelines] [Why QA sucks] [My Articles]
I only read formatted code with indentation, so please use PRE tags for code snippets.
I'm not participating in frackin' Q&A, so if you want my opinion, ask away in a real forum (or on my profile page).
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Following on from a recent thread [^], it appears that the hamsters have adopted my suggestion for adding a sentence to "how to ask a question" point 9. [IMHO, Luc's suggestion was better...]
Fine, but I just noticed that the PHP forum has only the (old?) guidelines with ask/answer lumped together. I don't know how widespread this is, but it would be more impressive to someone who might be worth impressing if all the forums were consistent (except for lounge, backroom, soapbox and the other hangouts of us crazies, of course).
Besides, when future enhancements are deployed, less hamster fuel will be required.
Software rusts. Simon Stephenson, ca 1994.
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Hi Peter,
IMO those stickies should not be look-alike or would-be identical, there should be only one, that gets shown in all relevant forums. That way only one needs to be maintained. And such simplification would make improvements a lot easier to suggest and to implement.
Also their subject line should be consistent; it does not help at all that in some forums one is called "how to ask a question" whereas in others it is "how to get an answer". That makes referring to them correctlly (while editing a reply) needlessly difficult.
Luc Pattyn [Forum Guidelines] [Why QA sucks] [My Articles]
I only read formatted code with indentation, so please use PRE tags for code snippets.
I'm not participating in frackin' Q&A, so if you want my opinion, ask away in a real forum (or on my profile page).
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Luc Pattyn wrote: there should be only one
Agreed. That was my point about saving hamster fuel...
Software rusts. Simon Stephenson, ca 1994.
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Luc Pattyn wrote: IMO those stickies should not be look-alike or would-be identical, there should be only one, that gets shown in all relevant forums
Unfortunately the forums have not been built to allow this. For now we make do with what we have.
As long as the message gets across I am satisfied, but I also know from experience that very, VERY few people bother reading such messages. Still, we try.
cheers,
Chris Maunder
The Code Project | Co-founder
Microsoft C++ MVP
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I don't give up that easily!
1.
I would then consider using a little script that copies the master from its forum to all other programming forums. The script could run automatically, either triggered by a change in the master message, or on a time base (say daily). The ROI would be great, you'd never have to edit more than one howto message then.
2.
Chris Maunder wrote: VERY few people bother reading such messages
Most people behave well, either because they have been well educated, or they have read them, or they mimic other's behavior. All that is fine. It is only the offenders that stand out, but they aren't that many.
For those who read, and for those who bother referring offenders to the howto messages, it is beneficial to have the howto's as clear and accurate as possible. So please keep giving your sheriffs adequate tools.
NEW: I also suggest you add a howto hyperlink to the edit message page; and/or an easy way for repliers to paste such link in their reply.
Luc Pattyn [Forum Guidelines] [Why QA sucks] [My Articles]
I only read formatted code with indentation, so please use PRE tags for code snippets.
I'm not participating in frackin' Q&A, so if you want my opinion, ask away in a real forum (or on my profile page).
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Looks like he has been escorted out of the premises! 
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I just wrote a comment to a QA, but then I noticed that it was wrong. So I deleted the comment.
However, I still see the comment, but it says "deleted" to the right of it.
Is it only me that can see it or is it in fact not deleted?
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I can see it when I click the 'show deleted' button.
I don't know if that button is visible for everyone or if it depends on reputation.
Initially the comment isn't visible tho.
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So it's just visible to me right off...
Good to know, problem solved!
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Johnny J. wrote: So it's just visible to me all Platinum authority people
FTFY
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Sandeep Mewara wrote: Johnny J. wrote:
So it's just visible to me all Platinum Gold authority people
FTFY
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Basically everybody, that is.
Then what's the point of having a "delete" option???
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Johnny J. wrote: Basically everybody, that is.
No. Not everybody. Only people with Gold+ members. They are very limited. Check one of the Luc's article to see the exact number if you want. Initially it was only Platinum members, but looks like it is extended to Gold now. (For situations where spamming is at peak and more people are required to handle them.)
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But again: What's the point of "deleting" a comment and then it's still visible? You might have written something that was completely wrong that you really don't want anybody else seeing?
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The fact that you deleted it means that you consider it to be wrong therefor nobody is going to hold it against you 
The point might be that when you post a comment, another user posts one building upon yours or simply saying it's wrong or something, then you delete yours leaving only the response to yours, people might wonder why that 1 comment is there making no sense at all.
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I don't recall having seen this one before, but I'm sure it must have been discussed before, as it is rather obvious. My apologies in advance.
When switching from normal forum view to "View Thread", all works fine as expected. However when the thread has been read, one probably wants to continue seeing the next/previous (older/younger) thread. But AFAICT the only available tool is "View All Threads". When clicking this, it returns to the first page of the forum, i.e. the most recent thread, possibly resulting in a need for a lot of "Next page" clicks to return to where we were.
How about adding all or some of these:
0. view all threads starting at this very thread
1. view all threads starting at next older one
2. view all threads starting at next younger one.
3. view next older thread
4. view next younger thread
having at least (0) or (1) or (2) would be a dramatic improvement.
[EDIT]
(0) could become the normal behavior of the "View All Threads" widget that is already there.
(3) and (4) could become regular "Next" and "Prev" widgets, currently absent in View Thread mode.
Of course one can use the browser's "Back" button, but that seems a bit odd, as all other navigation is supported by the forum pages themselves.
[/EDIT]
TIA.
Luc Pattyn [Forum Guidelines] [Why QA sucks] [My Articles]
I only read formatted code with indentation, so please use PRE tags for code snippets.
I'm not participating in frackin' Q&A, so if you want my opinion, ask away in a real forum (or on my profile page).
modified on Thursday, June 3, 2010 9:11 AM
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