13

The question

Since the new flags for closing (which I applaud) it is unclear to me how I can flag a question about Windows, Mac, Solaris or whatever which clearly does not belong here.

I want to flag Back to Factory settings, but I can't actually flag just Off-Topic (see the disabled button on the screenshot below). We have to choose an option. If I choose "it belongs on another site in the SE network," I am forced to choose meta...

  • Am I missing something?
  • If not, should this be changed?

A screenshot

flagging closing off-topic

11
  • My close dialogue looks different on that question. I have another option: "Other (add a comment explaining what is wrong)".
    – gertvdijk
    Commented Jun 27, 2013 at 17:26
  • @gertvdijk That could be because the reputation. I'm doing the same under a question and I get the same options that the OP.
    – Lucio
    Commented Jun 27, 2013 at 21:59
  • Flagging for custom OT reason is not possible. Which is basically why I stopped bothering at this point.
    – user98085
    Commented Jun 27, 2013 at 23:39
  • @FEichinger Are you suggesting that we should stop close-voting off-topic questions like the one above and leave them to higher rep users?
    – don.joey
    Commented Jun 28, 2013 at 9:15
  • @Private I'm not suggesting that, no. But there is no way to flag for generic/custom off-topic, without going through the global custom flag.
    – user98085
    Commented Jun 28, 2013 at 9:29
  • 3
    The new close system as pretty much made flagging useless, but no one listens.
    – Seth
    Commented Jun 28, 2013 at 17:16
  • 1
    MSO report: meta.stackexchange.com/questions/186262/…
    – Seth
    Commented Jun 28, 2013 at 17:18
  • 1
    @Seth Thanks. See also meta.stackexchange.com/a/185873/195914 which basically says that you need 3k+ rep to get the "custom" off-topic close vote. Which explains why Private and I don't see the same dialogue.
    – gertvdijk
    Commented Jul 1, 2013 at 15:06
  • 2
    @gertvdijk Hmm makes sense. The problem is: if you teach low rep users not to flag certain types of off-topic questions, they are likely to continue that behavior once they are higher rep users.
    – don.joey
    Commented Jul 1, 2013 at 21:04
  • 1
    I believe Mac OSX and Solaris fit under "unix", although we should send OSX users to Ask Diffrent, kb.iu.edu/data/agjq.html en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OS_X
    – Mateo
    Commented Jul 2, 2013 at 1:10
  • Oddly enough when I flag this question as off topic (this question on meta) I get much nicer options. ("This question does not appear to be about on-topic, within the scope defined in the help center.") But I can't get that option on AskUbuntu
    – coteyr
    Commented Jul 9, 2013 at 21:18

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
2

I'd say that out of these, "Another site in the Stack Exchange network" works nicely for this. OSX + Solaris would (in part, at least) be covered by the scope of the Unix SE; most other operating system issues (Windows, and non-Unix-related things within OSX for instance) would go over to Super User.

I've not used any of the other SE sites so I could be wrong, but that's pretty much how the situation looks for me. Questions asked here but not under the scope of this precise site are probably going to be covered by one of the other sites, they just need to be given a nudge in the right direction.

3
  • The another site option only lets us choose meta right now... maybe that should be altered.
    – don.joey
    Commented Jul 9, 2013 at 16:13
  • @Private Huh. Strange... I assumed it would be a generic "put it somewhere else" option, not "specify from this populated-with-only-one-item list"... Although, actually it seems like I have access to the "Other (add a comment)" option too, which isn't shown in the screenshot above - so I doubt it's a rep thing, and actually I'm not sure what it is (unless it was stealth-added between your question being asked and now...)
    – Jez W
    Commented Jul 9, 2013 at 20:06
  • Feature request here: meta.askubuntu.com/q/6493/44179 (cc @Private)
    – Seth
    Commented Jul 9, 2013 at 22:24

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .