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If I have a question about Ubuntu, I now have 3 places I could take it to:

It seems to me that Ubuntu is a subset of Linux/Unix which is a subset of Superuser, so if I have an Ubuntu question, I can really take it wherever I want. What should I be doing? Should we be migrating questions? Should I be asking my questions at the narrowest level possible? Or are some types of Ubuntu related questions more appropriate on each of these sites? Like a kernel compilation question might be best on the Unix/Linux level and things like that?

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    I think this question could use revisiting since both of the more specific sites listed have successfully come out of beta. What goes where now? Are we trying to funnel questions to the most specific community possible?
    – Caleb
    Commented Apr 14, 2011 at 11:53
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    I find I get quicker answers on SuperUser and questions languish on Ubuntu. More people = more knowledge, just like StackOverflow works with dozens of languages. People can tag their favorite tags to follow what they like best.
    – Chloe
    Commented Jan 11, 2017 at 21:03

2 Answers 2

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Until those sites come out of Beta, the option is really open at this point. Right now we still welcome Ubuntu/Linux questions, and since the sites may get merged before they are out of beta, SU will still be the most visible point since it is actively indexed and open.

Please try avoiding cross posting. If the sites survive beta, we will be able to migrate questions in future.

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    Both of those sites have come out of beta. What now?
    – Caleb
    Commented Apr 14, 2011 at 11:53
  • Yeah, I also hope people will update their answers with a more updated one as soon as it is found.
    – syockit
    Commented Jun 10, 2011 at 4:23
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My way of going about it is:

  • If your question is mostly about Ubuntu (for example, a question about what would be the standard way for doing something in Ubuntu), ask it at AskUbuntu.
  • If it is about a Linux tool on Ubuntu, but it could just as well apply to other Unixen, ask it at Unix.SE and simply specify you're using Ubuntu.
  • If your question could even be useful for non-Unix users (for example, a wget issue, since wget can also be used in Windows natively), then ask it here at SuperUser.

The first case would be, for example, about how to do something with apt, how to configure Gnome, why did an error pop up in your Ubuntu box, etc.

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    This approach is not constructive. While somewhat clean cut, it makes the Ubuntu site pretty much useless.
    – Daniel Beck Mod
    Commented Feb 12, 2012 at 12:06
  • @DanielBeck Maybe you're right. See if you think it's better now.
    – Camilo Martin
    Commented Feb 12, 2012 at 12:27
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    There are several practical problems with this approach. If someone self-identifies as a "Ubuntu power user", he'd need to be on Ubuntu.SE for the specific stuff, Unix.SE for the less specific stuff, Super User for things that might be applicable cross platform. Probably also Stack Overflow because he's writing shell scripts, and Server Fault because he got a VPS for 10 bucks a month. While the current approach of letting users post anywhere it's on topic inevitably leads to some duplication, it allows users to stay within a single community.
    – Daniel Beck Mod
    Commented Feb 12, 2012 at 12:30
  • This also requires that users are aware of these differences. If someone just uses "Ubuntu", how does he know what parts of it are used elsewhere? If another distribution reused parts of it, would that make them off topic?
    – Daniel Beck Mod
    Commented Feb 12, 2012 at 12:35
  • Now, of course you're free to distribute your questions like this, but it's pretty complicated and requires knowledge many novice users don't have. Therefore I disagree with this approach as a general recommendation to others.
    – Daniel Beck Mod
    Commented Feb 12, 2012 at 12:47
  • @DanielBeck I believe this solution is in everyone's best interest, here's why: If you're asking a question, you can ask it in the place where people are most likely to know what you're at (a question about Gnome and Apt might get more answers on AskUbuntu than at SuperUser). If you want to answer, and you're a general Linux user, Unix.SE might prove more interesting and diverse. Also, what's the problem with being in more than one SE site? It's not like we should strive to be the FGITW anyway.
    – Camilo Martin
    Commented Feb 12, 2012 at 12:48
  • @DanielBeck "If another distribution reused parts of it, would that make them off topic?" Yes, according to their FAQ: "This is not the right place for: Linux Mint, Backtrack, and other Linux distributions (try our friends at Unix & Linux Stack Exchange)."
    – Camilo Martin
    Commented Feb 12, 2012 at 12:50
  • @DanielBeck I understand your remarks, but do you have a constructive proposal? I'm myself very confused about where to post, and Camilo's proposal don't seem too bad, at least it's a starting point.
    – Stefano
    Commented Dec 26, 2012 at 23:24
  • This is relevant: meta.superuser.com/a/1583/50125
    – Stefano
    Commented Dec 26, 2012 at 23:27
  • @CamiloMartin You're free to post your questions on any applicable site. I'm pretty active in the Mac related tags on this site, as it is my preferred OS, yet I almost only post on SU, not on Ask Different (and have done so for a long time before I became moderator here). For questions that might fit several sites, it's really a personal preference: The community you like most, because it fits your mindset best.
    – Daniel Beck Mod
    Commented Dec 27, 2012 at 11:43
  • As cross-posting is not desired, you'll always get into situations where e.g. SU has not enough users knowledgable about a specific niche topic (so your question is attention-starved and would to be migrated upon request), or the topic is off topic on the more specific site (e.g. Ask Different or Ask Ubuntu), and needs to be closed or migrated to a more general site.
    – Daniel Beck Mod
    Commented Dec 27, 2012 at 11:44
  • @DanielBeck I never knew how to ask a moderator to migrate a question of mine. How do I do that?
    – Camilo Martin
    Commented Dec 27, 2012 at 12:09
  • @CamiloMartin Flag it, and specify the reason you want it migrated, and where ("no answers after two weeks, so please migrate to Android.SE"). There are some limitations on migrating though, so it won't happen in all cases.
    – Daniel Beck Mod
    Commented Dec 27, 2012 at 12:23
  • @DanielBeck Thanks. But if the question is well-written and fits the FAQ of the other site, it should be migrateable, right?
    – Camilo Martin
    Commented Dec 27, 2012 at 17:50

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