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I've seen old questions pop up (like 3 years old) because some users answer or comment on them.

  • What should I do when I see these old questions? Ignore them?
  • Is there any rule saying "Do not comment on old questions"?
  • Should I answer/comment on old questions if they pop up or not?
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  • All posts "pop up" or get bumped to the top of the front page every time someone answers them or when the question or any of its answers are edited. Comments do not bump the post (but, if I'm not wrong, the conversion of an answer to a comment by a mod bumps the post, because an answer being deleted counts as a modification?)
    – Zanna Mod
    Sep 17, 2017 at 13:23

2 Answers 2

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Whether you should comment or answer is not a function of the question age, but only of the intended content of your post.

Is it proposing a solution? Is it stating that a solution is not possible? Post an answer.

Is it asking for clarification or some other improvement to the post? Post a comment. Comments are not the place for solutions, even though they may arise from discussions in comments. Comments are not subject to downvoting or editing by normal users, so they're outside most of our quality control systems. Do not abuse that to post answers in comments.

The question age really doesn't come into the picture in this decision. Also note that it's common here for questions about some particular version of Ubuntu to become generalised to multiple versions, so don't let that consideration stop you.

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  1. There is a Late Answer Queue, where reviewers review these answers and comments. If that late answer is not appropriate, non-moderators will flag them inappropriate, and moderators will take action.

  2. Not really (if I am not wrong). If those comments are really useful to the question, the community will still appreciate them.

  3. If you really feel that you know the answer to that question, you don't mind your answer get reviewed, the quality of the answer is very good, and there are no users suggesting that particular answer, feel free to answer/comment the old question. The community has the ability to judge whether your answer is a quality one or not.

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