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Comments on Do domain-specific how-to's fit well within Q&A?

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Do domain-specific how-to's fit well within Q&A?

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I've recently gained some PAM (Pluggable Authentication Modules) knowledge. I had written a Reddit post plus reply and then thought the stuff I shared would fit well here.

Do domain-specific how-to questions like this fit well within the Q&A category, or would this work better in something like a "Recipes" category?

("Domain-specific" here means, "related to a particular aspect of Linux Systems management or development." E.g. the "domain" in this case is PAM application and module development. Thus the title of the question I would post is, "What is the process for writing PAM modules and applications?")

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Clarify and elaborate upon what exactly "general" means (2 comments)
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I certainly think "how to do X" is perfectly good for a question on Codidact, so long as X is sufficiently focused. A well-explained overview of a system is also useful, given it contains enough information that the user can continue researching more specific aspects of them, too.

Every question must be focused, so the question cannot ask for too much, and an answer should not be a full novel on a topic. That said, if it's too much for a single post, you can always post multiple questions. That needs to make sense, though.

In addition, ensure that it's directly useful. An answer listing a million potential explanations or troubleshooting steps, isn't necessarily so useful. Most of the point with Q/A is that people can quickly search for their problem/issue, then very easily find a direct, clear, and concise solution or explanation. Once they land on the page with the answer, it should already be filtered. Of course, this isn't always possible, but it's a goal to strive for.

If the question and answer do end up a bit unfocused, or simply too large, that isn't the end of the story. As long as the information is a useful addition to our knowledge repository, we can find ways to break it up, and move parts into new posts.

Looking at the specific content you posted at Reddit, it actually seems a bit thin in certain regards. Avoid link-only answers; include explanations inside the answers themselves; use citations where necessary. As your text currently stands, it's mostly a list of links. The general rule is that an answer must include enough information that it's still useful should all those links be unavailable. The reader should be given enough knowledge and explanation without leaving the page. So when the question asks "what is the process for writing PAM modules and applications", the answer must explain that whole process without relying on off-site links. Obviously, you can't cite an entire manual, so that can be left as simply a link to a useful resource.

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Elaborate on "a bit thin"? (3 comments)
Elaborate on "a bit thin"?
nogjam‭ wrote 6 months ago · edited 6 months ago

Thanks Andreas witnessed the end of the world today‭. Can you please elaborate on "a bit thin"? Would help if I do end up writing this Q/A. Also, are you referring to the post directly linked, or also to the reply I added to it? I think the reply would actually be the bulk of what I'd post on this site.

nogjam‭ It's my understanding that your text is the post from VastIncrease2, so that's what I'm referring to, yes. A question does not need to be very long; it only needs to list enough information about it that makes it answerable in a focused way.

Does the edit to my answer clarify enough?

nogjam‭ wrote 6 months ago

Yep, I think your answer edit clarifies. Yes, VastIncrease2 is me. I also discovered that my reply to my primary post seems not to be visible, which could be causing some confusion. I'll go ahead and write the question + answer, hopefully that will clear things up.