Timeline for Are bash/shell scripting questions on topic?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
36 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Jun 12, 2020 at 14:35 | history | edited | CommunityBot |
Commonmark migration
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| Apr 13, 2017 at 12:25 | history | edited | CommunityBot |
replaced http://askubuntu.com/ with https://askubuntu.com/
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| Apr 18, 2015 at 22:05 | vote | accept | terdon | ||
| Apr 17, 2015 at 9:59 | comment | added | terdon | @fedorqui oh, I agree. I'd love to see a mechanism that automatically links similar questions across the SE network. I think the whole idea about not cross-posting makes no sense any more. It was conceived back when there was only the trilogy and the overlap was far smaller. Ideally, questions would be broadcast to all sites where it was on topic and answers would similarly be combined. | |
| Apr 17, 2015 at 9:55 | comment | added | fedorqui | Yep I agree that is is normal to have some overlapping. However, googling something like "get specific line bash", "linux join lines" or "bash find files name starting with" you can find multiple similar answers throughout Stack Exchange. In [many] cases, also, these answers refer to each other. I can see they are good entry points to the site and contain good answers, but merging them somehow would lead to a better level of answers (better all in one place than good ones spread among different sites). What I miss is some kind of "mark as duplicate" throughout sites. | |
| Apr 17, 2015 at 9:48 | comment | added | terdon | @fedorqui don't forget Super User and Server Fault as well. Not to mention Android Enthusiasts and Ask Different both of which have some shell questions. The scopes of many sites overlap, and shell questions are on topic on many. It would be silly to make shell questions off topic on any of them since the shell is clearly part of all of their subject matters. Some overlap can't be avoided. | |
| Apr 17, 2015 at 9:42 | comment | added | fedorqui | Interesting debate here. I have the impression that similar questions keep on popping either in Stack Overflow, Unix & Linux and Ask Ubuntu without any special differences neither rule. So at the end we are having many, many duplicate answers across the network, which I think is not very good. Better to decide where they fit best and move them. | |
| Apr 11, 2015 at 22:47 | comment | added | terdon | @ElderGeek yes, the line can be blurry. For me, if the question is about interacting with an Ubuntu system (how do I use this Linux API call, for example) it's on topic. If it's about the particular programming language in general (How do I convert a floating point number to an integer in C?) it would be a better fit elsewhere. | |
| Apr 11, 2015 at 19:59 | comment | added | Elder Geek | @kos I have no intent of throwing in a monkey wrench here, but unless one is actively developing software on numerous OS's how would one know that you would have the same issue on any OS? (Unless of course it's an obvious logic failure) | |
| Apr 10, 2015 at 14:23 | comment | added | kos | @terdon Possibly the way to correctly read that statement in the help center is your way. Ok so it looks like almost everyone agrees on the fact that to be on-topic it should be mentioned that the specific issue is related to developing either for the Ubuntu platform or on the Ubuntu platform (the latter meaning that the specific issue is platform dependant, including for example development software). Well I think that all this put together is pretty consistent to be used as a baseline | |
| Apr 10, 2015 at 14:13 | comment | added | terdon | @kos I know, and I'm not frustrated :). This post is intended as a discussion. I read development on Ubuntu as describing questions that arise because the development is on Ubuntu. If you would have the same issue on any OS, that's not really on topic. I could use Ubuntu to write a windows app, for example, that doesn't mean that the Windows API is on topic here. | |
| Apr 10, 2015 at 14:04 | comment | added | kos |
@terdon Don't mean to frustrate you, because I agree that general programming questions fit better on Stack Overflow. I'm just trying to bring up as more as possible. The problem is the help center mentions "Developmen on Ubuntu", not "Development about Ubuntu", so per what it's written there even asking about how to use C would be on-topic.
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| Apr 10, 2015 at 13:50 | comment | added | terdon | @kos no, there isn't. That's why I mentioned "my personal rule of thumb". Basically, if a question is only about C and not about how to use C to interact with an Ubuntu system, it's off topic. If it's about the UNIX API, for example using ports in Ubuntu, then it should be allowed. However, despite its being on topic, that sort of thing is likely to get a better answer on SStack Overflow or Unix & Linux. In those cases, I would suggest the OP migrate but wouldn't close as off topic. | |
| Apr 10, 2015 at 13:48 | comment | added | kos |
@terdon If "Development on Ubuntu" is on-topic, why to ask about C syntax is not? You should agree that there's no clear boundary on what is on-topic and what is not.
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| Apr 10, 2015 at 12:36 | history | edited | terdon | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
added 40 characters in body
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| Apr 10, 2015 at 12:34 | comment | added | terdon | [cont...] So, simple shell/python/perl questions are OK. More complex ones should be on SO and non-scripting languages are off topic unless the issue is about their interaction with the OS. | |
| Apr 10, 2015 at 12:34 | comment | added | terdon | @DonaldBrown the help center also mentions "Development on Ubuntu." as on-topic. That means that pretty much anything about coding on an Ubuntu system would be on topic. My personal rule of thumb is that if it's a few lines of code that are run on Ubuntu, it's on topic, if it's a large program, it's not. Also, if the problem is about interacting with the Ubuntu system, it's on topic, if the issue is about the right syntax in C, then it is not. [cont...] | |
| Apr 10, 2015 at 12:33 | comment | added | kos | @DonaldBrown Yep you're right, I read too fast | |
| Apr 10, 2015 at 12:28 | comment | added | user323419 | @kos that is why I clarified bash/shell and not scripting in general. | |
| Apr 10, 2015 at 9:28 | history | edited | Tim | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
added 44 characters in body
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| Apr 10, 2015 at 9:27 | comment | added | kos | @Tim I totally agree. | |
| Apr 10, 2015 at 9:25 | comment | added | Tim | Both of those should be here (esp the first one). | |
| Apr 10, 2015 at 9:24 | comment | added | Tim | @kos as I have said, I would never migrate if you can do the scripting on ubuntu without installing non repro packages. So php is fine etc. I would advise asking elsewhere (if the question was high enough quality) but the close votes are wrong. I think the user should use their own discretion in closing, and not closing if they are unsure. | |
| Apr 10, 2015 at 9:23 | comment | added | kos | @Tim By the way I updated the query. Those two questions still there are explicitly mentioning Ubuntu, so perhaps they should be "brought back" :) | |
| Apr 10, 2015 at 9:19 | comment | added | kos | @Tim I might be wrong of course, that's why I'm bringing up the topic here. So you think that the line should be drawn where a user doesn't mention Ubuntu at all I understand. | |
| Apr 10, 2015 at 9:12 | comment | added | Tim | @kos @donald wether or not you agree, this has been the scope of Ask Ubuntu since before I joined.` If you are unconvinced see this comment, here by a mod: meta.askubuntu.com/questions/13807/… | |
| Apr 10, 2015 at 9:11 | comment | added | Tim | @kos they were migrated because they didn't mention ubuntu at all. We have ~2000 python questions: askubuntu.com/tags | |
| Apr 10, 2015 at 9:11 | comment | added | kos |
@DonaldBrown Python by the way it's still a scripting language. I don't think that's a good criterium, that way I could just ask everything about developing my PHP webapp over here, while this is clearly intended to be done on Stack Overflow
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| Apr 10, 2015 at 9:06 | comment | added | kos | @Tim Let me come back on what I said, to migrate them is a good thing, since they fit better there. I just don't think the scope makes up a good baseline to decide, because of course it's always about Ubuntu. If I'm building an app for Ubuntu that would clearly fit here, but the truth is it would fit better on Stack Overflow. By the way here's the list of the most recent migrated questions from Ask Ubuntu to Stack Overflow | |
| Apr 10, 2015 at 5:03 | comment | added | user323419 | I believe that straight-up shell/bash scripting for Ubuntu is okay here, but questions relating to specific languages (Python/C++/etc.) should be asked on either StackOverflow or Programmers as those boards are for actual programming rather than scripting. | |
| Apr 9, 2015 at 20:05 | comment | added | Tim | @kos they shouldn't have been migrated to be honest - unless there is no mention of ubuntu at all. I would advise a user to ask on Stack Overflow because then they would get a better(?) answer. But I'd never migrate. | |
| Apr 9, 2015 at 20:04 | comment | added | kos | @Tim That's what I deduce either, the problem is I've seen lots of questions migrated to Stack Overflow with no scope disclosed whatsoever about their purpose. So I wondered on which basis they have been migrated at all | |
| Apr 9, 2015 at 19:50 | comment | added | Tim | @kos anything you do on ubuntu essentially. So php if you use an apache server, python etc. that's not to say that this is the best place, but it is on topic. | |
| Apr 9, 2015 at 17:42 | comment | added | kos | Can you elaborate on where the line should be drawn? I mean, exactly where other programming languages are on topic and where not. | |
| Apr 9, 2015 at 16:34 | comment | added | terdon | This is, of course, just my opinion. If anyone disagrees, please post another answer and downvote this one. I am hoping this thread will serve as a conclusive answer to the question. | |
| Apr 9, 2015 at 16:33 | history | answered | terdon | CC BY-SA 3.0 |