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Upvoted. I can understand downvoting heated expressions, but I don't understand why a sincere question can be downvoted.

• quickthrower2 7y ago
  > I don't understand why a sincere question can be downvoted. Perhaps because it comes off like a criticism not a question.
  • quickthrower2 7y ago
    Edit: there is a terminology for this: https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Just_asking_questions https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Just_asking_questions
    • segfaultbuserr 7y ago
      Yes, it's a technique to argue in bad faith and to shift the burden of proof. And let's see how it applies here... > 3000 lines of control software? Seems a bit excessive. Why does it need a computer at all? It really means, > 3000 lines of control software is unbelievable. It's excessive, it doesn't even need a computer at all! Sure, it's criticism. But I don't see any bad faith argument here. So I guess "Just asking questions" doesn't apply here. And from the Guideline, > Please don't post shallow dismissals, especially of other people's work. A good critical comment teaches us something. So it's probably the reason for downvoting. But consider the fact that other readers have already responded to the question/criticism with more information on the author's intention, I think downvoting this is unnecessary.
      • kwhitefoot 7y ago
        At risk of causing further dancing on the head of a pin style argument I'd like to point out that contrary to what some people seem to believe it was a sincere question based on my own experience of writing similar control software in an industrial context. I meant exactly what I said, there was no subtext. I wanted to know the answer and it was provided by icebraining. If I had intended to say that the number of lines were in actual fact excessive I would have omitted the word seems.