How do I deal with the plurality of "reinstall OS" answers?

Question

I do not wish to sound ungrateful as I am aware that without this AU I would be pretty much lost. However, sometimes the only answer has been "give up and reinstall" which might solve the problem but would not help me understand why the problem happened.

I understand that reinstalling would fix all sorts of things. I understand that I manage to find some pretty weird ways to break my system. However what I really want to know is what the true problem is. I want to fix it myself for two reasons.

1. I want to learn.
2. This isn't Windows.

I know it's broken, I figured that out; what I want to learn is what is broken and why (and what I did wrong so I can know better next time).

I can't help but feel that answers such as "reinstall and don't worry about it" do not fit with the goal of compiling a solid resource of domain specific knowledge. I appreciate that reinstalling can be a reasonable cure-all and alternative solution if someone is in a hurry but I'd like to know how to seek more specific answers.

I worry that either I am asking less than optimal questions or I just have a knack for breaking the most obscure possible parts of my system. If my question is very obscure and no one really knows, I am fine with being told that.

I've put off saying anything because I am aware that the experts who are able to answer my questions know a lot more than I do and, frankly, I don't want to sound ungrateful. There is always a chance that my communication is less than ideal and that is no-one's fault but mine.

What is the best way to ask questions such that I can clearly indicate that I have no intention of giving up and reinstalling but really want to understand the problem (and then fix it)? And, if I do get such an answer in the future, what would be the best and most friendly way to say "thanks, but that's not what I was asking"?

Answer 1

1 How to deal with this kind of answer

I usually see “reinstall and forget about it” in two types of situation:

1. From inexperienced users.

   Like you said they're rarely helpful. Of course anyone can reset the entire system and pray the issue vanishes. Feel free to down-vote these into oblivion or even flag them as unsalvageably “low quality”.

   If the question asks for an explanation (on top or instead of a solution) or if the underlying issue is likely or even guaranteed to reoccur after a successful reinstallation you may also want to add a comment or even flag the post as “not an answer”.

2. From experienced users when a fix would likely be more complicated than a reinstallation.

   These often contain at at least a short rationale why a fix would be unreasonably complex and/or time-consuming. I generally like to keep those because making good decisions about economy of time is an important part of technology and engineering.

   Of course you can ask for a more detailed explanation of the underlying issue explicitly if you want to rule out this type of answers.

2 How to ask questions that discourage this kind of answer

In general state clearly that you're not or not only looking for a solution but an explanation. This will render any reply that provides little more than a suggestion to reinstall “not an answer” (which you should flag as such, see above).

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If you're looking for specific recommendations, can you please provide examples of questions that attracted such answers and where you would have liked to see more explanation? Maybe we can point out a thing or two that could be improved about the question(s).

Answer 2

1. I want to learn.

Great ! That's the right attitude.

2. This isn't Windows.

That's not quite the right attitude.

I know it's broken, I figured that out; what I want to learn is what is broken and why (and what I did wrong so I can know better next time).

I can't help but feel that answers such as "reinstall and don't worry about it" do not fit with the goal of compiling a solid resource of domain specific knowledge.

Exactly, they don't. And that's exactly the point. While there's people that consider Ask Ubuntu a documentation site sort of like "wiki" (and over time I sort of submitted to this idea myself), but people often forget that on the other side of the screen there's a real person with a broken computer, and they need help. And sometimes the long route of "fixing" everything is just too troublesome.

Such answers are usually given as quick and dirty fix, or in cases where OP has messed up too much...so much that if this was their job they'd loose it in no time. So, instead of me giving you a lengthy lecture, here - that's a solution that will give you a working computer, and get you up and running.

I appreciate that reinstalling can be a reasonable cure-all and alternative solution if someone is in a hurry but I'd like to know how to seek more specific answers.

There's no special way. Just ask. Put in bold: People, I want to know why this happened and how to fix it. You know what is great about kids ? They ask "why ?" all the time. So be a kid, beat the answerer with "but why?" question over and over till they give it to you or confess that they've no idea.

And again, reinstalling isn't a cure all. It usually goes back to my previous point that it's all about getting the "customer" a working computer. So you need to tell people that you also want to learn. What you ask usually matches the answers you get.

I worry that either I am asking less than optimal questions or I just have a knack for breaking the most obscure possible parts of my system. If my question is very obscure and no one really knows, I am fine with being told that.

Breaking is part of learning. That's how I've learned the ropes around Ubuntu. Ask anybody in Ask Ubuntu General chat. And seeking help with breaking things is also part of that, which is why your questions are welcome on the site, but again - you also need to learn how to ask.

I've put off saying anything because I am aware that the experts who are able to answer my questions know a lot more than I do and, frankly, I don't want to sound ungrateful. There is always a chance that my communication is less than ideal and that is no-one's fault but mine.

What is the best way to ask questions such that I can clearly indicate that I have no intention of giving up and reinstalling but really want to understand the problem (and then fix it)?

Again, there's no best way. Just say so. Put it in bold. You'll get answers that give you the long lecture on how to fix it by hand, or you'll get an explanation of "Sorry, it's unfixable" or "Sorry, it will take ages to fix it by hand". Remember to beat the answerers on the head with "why?".

And, if I do get such an answer in the future, what would be the best and most friendly way to say "thanks, but that's not what I was asking"?

It's already friendly. Leave a comment that their answer isn't useful. That's what I usually do. Communicate with people. Downvote if you want to express that the answer isn't useful whatsoever. If you have a line in your question that asks about learning and avoiding reinstalling, point them to it and say "Hey,buddy, I think you missed this part of what I asked."