In response to constant bitching from jannies (unpaid) that new users aren't asking good questions, Stack Overflow have added a new feature called the Staging Ground:
Basically new users aren't even allowed to ask questions directly onto the site anymore and their questions are instead pushed into a separate pipeline where no one can give them answers and their questions are instead disseminated by powerusers. Only if a question passes this multi-stage process does it actually make it onto SO proper. Spoiler: nothing ever passes.
Let's look at what this new user experience looks like...
A new user asks a Python question (now deleted so no link). It's correctly formatted, it explains the question clearly and shows the error. This sounds like a good question, right? WRONG.
They're asked to edit the question (which they do), and then they're told to edit it again. The question is then closed as being "off topic" (it's a Python coding question lol) and to rub salt into the wounds a poweruser asks the Meta (aka poweruser sneed) forum how to punish them further in How should we respond in the Staging Ground when OP ignores feedback, makes a trivial edit and submits for re-evaluation?.
The response? Ask for more changes:
This is exactly what declined re-eval was added for. To elaborate more: we added this feature for this exact scenario, and it is designed to give the reviewer a frictionless way to both tell the author that they still need to address the original feedback (IIRC, banner tells them this). And if the author continues to ignore it, they will be temporarily blocked, with clear explanations why
Of course OP can't actually do this because their question has been closed as off topic.
Congrats Stack Overflow, you're going to die even faster.
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If the guy could produce a minimal example singling-out the error, and in addition to that ruled out common errors raised by individual functions in his code, then he wouldn't be asking on stack-overflow.
And if he did all that and the error survived the process, then it'd be too complicated for anyone on stack-overflow to answer.
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To be fair a lot of programming questions can just be answered by reading the man page
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HOW HARD IS IT TO ADD AN EXAMPLE IN THE MAN PAGE HOLY FRICKING SHIT I HATE DEVELOPERS
Here is a list of 200000 alphanumeric flags and options a. b. c. .dd.a.fdwaeropgfaujrfghaw4eulfh34iuoaty o2qhwe=a=sdas=d --saf-d-saf-d-f- da-sf-sad-f-sdg--sfhg-g- sfd--fgdsg-sdf-fg-s-dfg-s df--sdf-sgdf-g-fsd-fdg-gdfs-gfsd-fgds-gfd afnjkodsgnsfdjk <<<<<<<<>>>>>>>> FILE PATH>>> 828327 sd=-f--daf-sdf FILE PATH OVER WRIDE
-0-f jafdsfhdasui OUT PUT X? ??IU 83ur7230ry23r723y7r3270ry02377
Anyway no I'm not going to show you what a valid command is expected to look like
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That's assuming that programmers know how to write documentation and that they know how to read it, both of which don't hold true.
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If the btrfs devs forgot to document an important component, it's your fault for needing it
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Someone should ask powerusers what a good SO question looks like. I don't think they'd be able to give you an answer. Most powerusers haven't asked (or answered) a question in the last five years.
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I've been inclined to believe that none of them code at all, or that their experience tops at navigating eclipse
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Uh oh watch out it's the Code of Conduct crew.
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It's like they want a textbook-style setup of the problem, but that kind of setup is something you can really only achieve with the context of knowing the answer.
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Create a minimal reproducible example of a good question first, please. then you may ask that question
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