|
My feeling is that (with the exception of spammers and trolls, and we have mechanisms for dealing with them) everything there is a question to someone. It may be badly stated (or not stated at all) but they wouldn't have posted it if they didn't need help.
OK, some of it is "do my homework" - but even that needs a reply:
We do not do your homework: it is set for a reason. It is there so that you think about what you have been told, and try to understand it. It is also there so that your tutor can identify areas where you are weak, and focus more attention on remedial action.
Try it yourself, you may find it is not as difficult as you think!
Because sometimes, that starts a discussion: they are so "rabbit in the headlights" that they don't how where, or how to start. And those discussions can be some of the most rewarding: you can get to see someone's brain start thinking, possibly for the first time in their entire life!
"Not a question" stops that happening: it closes an avenue completely and prevents any further discussions.
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
|
|
|
|
|
So, as I said: a new "homework" reporting option, possibly with a separate list of homework questions where members are encouraged to provide hints, not full solutions.
"These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined."
- Homer
|
|
|
|
|
It looks like we need to have some form of purgatory for questions. If there were somewhere to "quarantine" sub-par questions, but which would be available to people to encourage improvement if possible, then we might be able to overcome this wave of closures. I would expect that this would trigger a notification to the user that their question was being moved due to issues around the question, which would give them a chance to fix it. The odd thing is that we have a different behaviour between articles and questions, so an article can be resurrected, but a question can't.
Oh, and moving the question back out of purgatory would rely on people voting that the question was sufficiently improved to warrant moving back to the main codebase. Obviously, if people want to answer the question while it's in this purgatory place, that would be their own prerogative.
|
|
|
|
|
Surely the act of answering is an indication that the question is understandable?
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
|
|
|
|
|
Not necessarily. How many questions have you seen where answers have been given that are totally off base because people are making assumptions about what the question is actually asking?
|
|
|
|
|
Good idea for "unclear" and "not a question" questions. Not so much for spam, off-topic or reposts.
Did you see my previous suggestions[^] for improving the reporting options?
"These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined."
- Homer
|
|
|
|
|
A combination of the two approaches could definitely work. My suggestions were aimed purely at the "could be a legitimate question with a bit of effort" ones.
|
|
|
|
|
I like the idea
M.D.V.
If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about?
Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you
Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
|
|
|
|
|
A problem that comes up occasionally is that a discussion can be started in the comments, and then suddenly the question is closed and we can't continue the discussion.
Most recently, Bill W asked me a question and in order to answer him I had to piggy-back on one of his Lounge posts:
http://www.codeproject.com/Lounge.aspx?msg=4941233#xx4941233xx[^]
because this question was closed
help with code in C#[^]
Yes, it's a homework question, but that's no reason to close it; just don't give provide the answer.
A 1-vote is probably sufficient, not a report.
|
|
|
|
|
Thanks, Piebald, I replied to your comment on the Lounge post.
« I am putting myself to the fullest possible use which is all, I think, that any conscious entity can ever hope to do » HAL (Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer) in "2001, A Space Odyssey"
|
|
|
|
|
Just a small suggestion, (if has been suggested before, forgive me I haven't read the whole thread)
When a question is posted can you not check for some basic things, such as:
- is there code present (check on the 'code' tags)
- is it a one line text
- ...
And display a message making suggestions as to how to better format his question, such as 'you haven't submitted any code, we can better help you if we see the code that is causing the error' (or something like that, I'm sure your English is better than mine)
But still allow the user to pass on without editing it (since there are valid cases where no code should be posted or ...).
That way, the people who have 'learned' to post a good question won't be bothered by it and those that haven't will (hopefully) read the messages and in time ask better questions.
No idea at if this possible, but it was the first thing that popped into my head as a possible (half) solution, after reading your post.
|
|
|
|
|
|
I agree that too many get closed needlessly.
|
|
|
|
|
I had uploaded the 7z file, that was the source code for my article, Onion Architecture
[^], The article is published but the source code download link is missing. Can this be checked please.
Thanks
|
|
|
|
|
Can you please email that file to me?
Thanks,
Sean Ewington
CodeProject
|
|
|
|
|
That file was a bit healthy in size. It is 16.7 MB. Would mail support such size?
|
|
|
|
|
Do you have an external link?
Thanks,
Sean Ewington
CodeProject
|
|
|
|
|
No Sir. Could you suggest any link to upload the file?
|
|
|
|
|
Email should handle the 16 MB.
Thanks,
Sean Ewington
CodeProject
|
|
|
|
|
Ok Sir. I am mailing the same.
Thanks a lot for your support.
|
|
|
|
|
.7z extension files are not being accepted by gmail to be sent. Is there any other way I can send??
I have that file uploaded. If possible give me any external link where I could add the file.
Thanks.
|
|
|
|
|
A rar file or renamed .zip file? Barring that, something like dropbox?
Thanks,
Sean Ewington
CodeProject
|
|
|
|
|
It is a simple normal folder which I have compressed using 7zip. .7z extension. Please suggest something. It is not renamed just compressed.
Thanks
|
|
|
|
|
Can you compress it as a RAR, or ZIP, but if a ZIP rename the extension before you send it (I.E. .NOTZIP).
Do you have a dropbox account? Gmail? A blog?
Thanks,
Sean Ewington
CodeProject
|
|
|
|
|
Yes I am uploading to my Dropbox. After upload to dropbox what shall I do?
|
|
|
|