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Yesterday I posted a question where I asked other users to share shortcuts/tips they know to improve terminal usage. This question is similar in spirit as other already asked, like this one about the available lens to Unity.

Is right to ask this type of questions on AskUbuntu? Cause none of the answers could be accepted as the right answer. Or things like this should instead be shared on wiki/forums?

Sorry if someone already asked something like this.

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  • Just a note: some people are okay with CW answer accepting for unanswerable questions. I am in that camp. If there's a great question that needs a community answer, then fine. I'ld accept a general CW answer. Mar 17, 2013 at 23:01

2 Answers 2

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Abraham pretty much sums it up. The problem is not that you ask for tips, but the way you ask.

If your question is objective and has a clear end point, then go ahead, ask away. However, if you are asking for a generalized set of "points" (which is what "tips on x subject" are), then there is no way we can have one, concise, clear answer that covers everything. It would be better to have forum post or a wiki entry or even (a) blog post(s) covering what you're looking for, than to have them listed here.

If you ask for "a way" to improve say, your terminal's output appearance (such as changing the colours, or the font, or something specific), then of course, that is perfectly fine.

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  • So suppose I want to share my knowledge on how to solve compilation problems on Ubuntu. Would be better to ask 5 questions like "How to solve problem X?" and answer each one instead of asking for tips on how to solve compilation problems and give 5 answers on how to solve common problems?
    – Salem
    Mar 17, 2013 at 23:42
  • @Salem if I understand you correctly, then yes, you should create a question for each problem. It is more tedious in the short term but much more useful in the long term. If of course your problems can be grouped into one main problem with sub-points, then it is okay to ask one question (with one, concise answer).
    – RolandiXor
    Mar 18, 2013 at 0:27
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It's not "wrong" to want tips. It is wrong to ask unanswerable questions.

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