-14

You don't like the question, or you think no answer exists, so you slam some ridiculous cut and paste text that doesn't even remotely apply, and you put the question on hold.

Go to any meta page for any SE site, and you'll see the same thing over and over.

Today I couldn't find an answer to something, so I made the mistake of trying to ask the question here: https://serverfault.com/questions/584749/what-microsoft-server-os-will-follow-microsoft-server-2012-r2

My question included some anecdotal background and concluded with this question:

Is Microsoft working on a new OS to succeed 2012 R2?

Countless searches to SE and Google, and I'm unable to find anything. I hope this question is appropriate here in Server Fault. I searched the SE index, and I was surprised to discover that there is no Windows SE! If you feel that this question is not appropriate for Server Fault, alternative suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

The downvotes started immediately, sans comments. So I added a comment to my own question:

If you feel that this question is not appropriate for Server Fault, alternative suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Five seconds after posting this question, with this request included, the downvotes commence. No comments.... Super helpful.

I don't know if you can tell, but this is incredibly frustrating. I know I am not alone in this feeling, because I participate on multiple SE sites, and I see this over and over again. I knew what was coming, but I had no one else to ask.

Now, my question is closed. Reportedly, my question is based on opinion.

You don't need to respond. I didn't write this post to have a dialog and feel better about the treatment I got today, but rather to hopefully open your eyes to a serious problem here at SE.

This attitude drives people away on a daily basis. The only person who can change it is you. Stop with the cutting and pasting and be an actual human being for five seconds. Explain to the person the real reason you don't like their question, instead of creating some excuse, and maybe you'll provide an opportunity for growth.

Right now the only thing that seems to be growing is cancer.

26
  • 3
    Ask Microsoft. The rest of us can only guess. And if you don't want a dialogue, then there is no point to this post at all.
    – Michael Hampton Mod
    Commented Mar 26, 2014 at 20:11
  • 6
    Your question does not fall in the scope of server fault. The basic litmus test is "is it a real problem? Does it need solving?" This is not a real problem. It's just someone wondering out aloud. There is nothing to be solved. The general public won't know the answer to you question, and anyone who does will be under an NDA. We don't allow "general discussion" questions, and never have.
    – Mark Henderson Mod
    Commented Mar 26, 2014 at 20:14
  • 2
    Your question was treated the same way it would have been if one of us had asked it and probably better. You at least got comments from myself and others that explained why it was an off-topic question and what our "opinion" was at that point. If one of the regulars had posted that we would have flamed them like crazy and then ribbed them in Chat as well. It wasn't YOU that the downvotes and comments were directed at...it was the QUESTION.
    – TheCleaner
    Commented Mar 26, 2014 at 20:15
  • 4
    This question appears to be off-topic because by the OPs own addmission they are just having a whinge to feel better. You don't need to respond. I didn't write this post to have a dialog and feel better about the treatment I got today, but rather to hopefully open your eyes to a serious problem here at SE.
    – user9517
    Commented Mar 26, 2014 at 20:16
  • @MichaelHampton The purpose of this post was to insight discussion among you all, the perpetrators of the problem. You have nothing to discuss with me that will be of any value to this site. As you can see, all of these comments above are directed at me (what you all perceive to be the source of the problem) rather than any meaningful discussion about the way that we conduct business here on SE.
    – Lumberjack
    Commented Mar 26, 2014 at 20:39
  • @MarkHenderson Thank you Mark. As you are undboutedly aware, this explanation would have been far less frustrating than the one I received. Therein lies the problem.
    – Lumberjack
    Commented Mar 26, 2014 at 20:41
  • 4
    @Lumberjack: had you read our about page you'd have saved everyone including yourself the trouble - therein lies the main problem.
    – user9517
    Commented Mar 26, 2014 at 20:43
  • 5
    You haven't raised any issues that "we" (whoever "we" are) might need to discuss with each other. In particular, you haven't identified a problem. And if we have nothing to discuss with you then there really is no point. Goodbye.
    – Michael Hampton Mod
    Commented Mar 26, 2014 at 20:44
  • 5
    @Lumberjack You didn't read what the site was tour and then you asked a question that is very much off-topic and appeared to get upset that people didn't bother to tell you why. You appear to have enough rep on other SE sites to know that these sites aren't a free-for-all. I'm not sure why you think the problem lies anywhere other than on the asker here.
    – MDMarra
    Commented Mar 26, 2014 at 22:06
  • @MDMarra Let us take it as given that I am at fault, that I asked a bad question. Is it appropriate to close an off=topic question with any tag other than off-topic? Or does it perhaps illicit this sort of response when we close a question with an obviously wrong reason stated? I don't know why others participate in SE, but I know why I do. I participate to help people. For this reason, you can often find my answers as comments to closed or on hold questions. If I don't know the answer, I'll at least try to point the asker in the right direction.
    – Lumberjack
    Commented Mar 26, 2014 at 22:21
  • @MDMarra The problem I wanted to illuminate is most perfectly demonstrated by the one "answer" below. The insider has such vitriol for the outsider. I just can't understand where it comes from, and I've observed the problem on many SE sites. I stopped participating on ESS for this very reason.
    – Lumberjack
    Commented Mar 26, 2014 at 22:22
  • 8
    I don't know why others participate in SE, but I know why I do. - I also like to help people, as evidenced by my 1,914 answers and 75,370 rep. The problem is that there are two kinds of new users. The kind that mean well, read the rules, and ask appropriately detailed questions and the kind that ignore the rules, ask whatever they want, and get bent out of shape when they are told that they did it wrong. You fall into bucket #2. Users that fall into bucket #1 are generally met with helpful responses.
    – MDMarra
    Commented Mar 26, 2014 at 22:27
  • 1
    And to answer your actual question - of course they are working on another OS. Client and server operating system SKUs have been released together since Windows 7/2008 R2. In fact, client/server SKUs share the same kernel and everything now. There are leaked internal builds on Windows 9 on the Internet, so it's safe to assume that the next Windows Server version is also under development. Microsoft isn't going to stop making new operating systems.
    – MDMarra
    Commented Mar 26, 2014 at 22:38
  • 3
    @Lumberjack it's right there "Focus on questions about an actual problem you have faced. Include details about what you have tried and exactly what you are trying to do." The question isn't about a problem you have faced. It's literally right there in bold typeface.
    – MDMarra
    Commented Mar 26, 2014 at 22:41
  • 4
    This conversation has run its course. Please don't make me lock it again. It's the internet people.
    – Mark Henderson Mod
    Commented Mar 26, 2014 at 23:47

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
7

I didn't see your question before it was closed but had I done so I would have voted to close it the same as other people did. I may even have chucked a downvote on it and not left a comment.

Do you realise how frustrating it is to have a daily deluge of crappy off topic questions asked by people who have completely missed every opportunity to familiarise themselves with our topicality and scope ?

Do you realise just how frustrating it is to then have them come to meta and whinge about their failings that the community had to clean up ?

Do you realise just how frustrating it is to have people not read the text provided as part of the close reason1 ?

...

1It's not copy+paste text it boilerplate that it automagically inserted when a question is closed. It includes valuable information on why the community felt that your question was not within scope/topical for Server Fault. You should read it and attempt to understand it within the scope of Server Fault.

9
  • It is unfortunate that your reply is directed at me. The discussion you should be having is with your comrades here. With that said, I will do you the service of responding anyhow.
    – Lumberjack
    Commented Mar 26, 2014 at 20:42
  • 1
    Do you realise how frustrating it is to have a daily deluge of crappy.... You are an insider and so you act and think like an insider, with vitriol for the perceived outsider. This is the problem.
    – Lumberjack
    Commented Mar 26, 2014 at 20:43
  • Do you realise just how frustrating it is to then have them come to meta.... You're being presented an opportunity to grow as a community, and you're using it as a circle jerk instead. Your choice.
    – Lumberjack
    Commented Mar 26, 2014 at 20:44
  • Do you realise just how frustrating it is to have people not read the text provided.... I read the text. It was my inability to understand said "boiler plate text" that led me to post here.
    – Lumberjack
    Commented Mar 26, 2014 at 20:44
  • 1
    @Lumberjack: Your 'question' isn't about the text it's just a whiney whinge.
    – user9517
    Commented Mar 26, 2014 at 20:46
  • @HopelessN00b Its only a waste of time because you are unwilling to think about the problem from any perspective but your own. So be it.
    – Lumberjack
    Commented Mar 26, 2014 at 20:47
  • The about page is virtually hidden in comparison to the many resources provided by the site to help an asker determine if his question is appropriate or not. The about page is a tiny text only link hidden in the footer section of the main page. By contrast, if you click Ask A Question, the sidebar reads: Review our list of allowed topics. We prefer questions that can be answered, not just discussed. The "list of allowed topics" is a link that takes you to the Help Page for Asking. It lists what is on-topic and what is off-topic. serverfault.com/help/on-topic
    – Lumberjack
    Commented Mar 26, 2014 at 23:07
  • I suspect (and site analysis could confirm) that the about page gets many less hits than the on-topic page. In any case, the on-topic page should include some text illustrating the point that has been repeated here. furthermore, given how painfully frustrating it is for everyone here to deal with a "daily deluge of crappy off topic questions asked by people who have completely missed every opportunity to familiarise themselves with our topicality and scope." Maybe you could consider that your perspective isn't the only one. Perhaps it is possible that one of these annoying people ...
    – Lumberjack
    Commented Mar 26, 2014 at 23:11
  • could have actually attempted to verify the validity of his question before asking it. Maybe this information that is so universally obvious to an insider isn't as ubiquitous as you perceive. If that is the case you should be my loudest supporter in asking that this detail be more widely published on the site. Would not better communication help to reduce the frequency of both our frustrations?
    – Lumberjack
    Commented Mar 26, 2014 at 23:14

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