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You very likely are facing an XY problem. It's usually still best to start by answering the question actually asked, and let the asker carry on from there. Ve

You very likely are facing an XY problem. It's usually still best to start by answering the question actually asked, and let the asker carry on from there. Very often the answer to the question is "there's no way to do that", or "you'd have to build a whole Z by hand first", and the questioner will then back away from Y on their own.

Kalium 6y ago
When responding with an XY problem with the answer up front, it's always worth bearing in mind that there's a very good chance that whatever you say after that will be blathering into the void. The consequences of this, especially if on StackOverflow or similar, can be hard to foresee. This is perhaps something to be cautious of one-size-fits-all approaches to, especially if the answer could be dangerous in the wrong hands. The universality of `chmod 777` among people with no understanding of UNIX file permissions as a tool to solve all their problems is a great example.
- jbay808 6y ago
  On Stackoverflow, keep in mind that any other users with similar questions may have them closed as duplicates and redirected to the one you're answering, and even if this user has an XY problem, they might not, so you should answer the question first.
  - Kalium 6y ago
    You're absolutely right! There are potentially a great many readers with exactly the same question, and any response should bear that in mind. At the same time, Stackoverflow and similar public fora are doubly dangerous for the issue I've described. Instead of the possibility of one person mishandling information they're not equipped to contextualize, you have potentially tens of thousands who will stop reading once they get the answer you have helpfully provided first. Again, you're completely correct. Any response should bear in mind the possibly sizable audience. I think it might be the case that there could be scenarios where answering the question as asked first is actually the least helpful thing one could do for this audience. I have personally fallen into this trap, reading the first few sentences of something helpful and getting the dangerous information I was looking for, coming back for the rest only when it blew up in my face.
    - jbay808 6y ago
      (I guess it's okay to answer the question last, too, as long as it gets answered).

Kalium 6y ago

When responding with an XY problem with the answer up front, it's always worth bearing in mind that there's a very good chance that whatever you say after that will be blathering into the void. The consequences of this, especially if on StackOverflow or similar, can be hard to foresee. This is perhaps something to be cautious of one-size-fits-all approaches to, especially if the answer could be dangerous in the wrong hands. The universality of `chmod 777` among people with no understanding of UNIX file permissions as a tool to solve all their problems is a great example.

jbay808 6y ago
On Stackoverflow, keep in mind that any other users with similar questions may have them closed as duplicates and redirected to the one you're answering, and even if this user has an XY problem, they might not, so you should answer the question first.
- Kalium 6y ago
  You're absolutely right! There are potentially a great many readers with exactly the same question, and any response should bear that in mind. At the same time, Stackoverflow and similar public fora are doubly dangerous for the issue I've described. Instead of the possibility of one person mishandling information they're not equipped to contextualize, you have potentially tens of thousands who will stop reading once they get the answer you have helpfully provided first. Again, you're completely correct. Any response should bear in mind the possibly sizable audience. I think it might be the case that there could be scenarios where answering the question as asked first is actually the least helpful thing one could do for this audience. I have personally fallen into this trap, reading the first few sentences of something helpful and getting the dangerous information I was looking for, coming back for the rest only when it blew up in my face.
  - jbay808 6y ago
    (I guess it's okay to answer the question last, too, as long as it gets answered).