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https://superuser.com/review/suggested-edits/806847

The original answer contained a slightly rambling instruction on how to copy a system folder via Explorer, that ended with the text "Google it". I replaced said text with a call to robocopy that performs the copy without having to do any of the Explorer nonsense; additionally, the robocopy command also copies the attributes and permissions of the directory, to ensure (as a comment on said answer notes) that installers can continue to access it afterwards.

Yet the edit was rejected. Why?

edit: to address the answers:

  • I didn't want to make my own answer because (a) my answer would not have significantly differed from the accepted one (b) people generally don't look at answers other than the accepted one anyway, especially when the accepted one has over 200 upvotes. tl;dr adding a new answer would be essentially pointless.
  • My edit absolutely does not change the original author's intent. Their intent is to answer the question - my edit still accomplishes that, albeit by changing a single step to use a slightly different (but superior) method.

As such, I would like to suggest that the answer in question be converted to a Community Wiki post.

5
  • 1
    Also, I'm not a "new contributor", I've been using Stack Overflow since before this site existed.
    – Ian Kemp
    Nov 19, 2018 at 13:27
  • 5
    You're a new contributor to... meta? the new contributor tag is... just bloody strange.
    – Journeyman Geek Mod
    Nov 19, 2018 at 13:34
  • 1
    ...welcome to Meta Super User! ;-P (cheesy grin)
    – bertieb
    Nov 19, 2018 at 13:49
  • 1
    @JourneymanGeek s/strange/terrible
    – Ian Kemp
    Nov 20, 2018 at 4:58
  • 3
    Alas, a decision far above our pay grade... Even if we're unpaid.
    – Journeyman Geek Mod
    Nov 20, 2018 at 4:59

3 Answers 3

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Yet the edit was rejected. Why?

You changed the author's intent. While a huge improvement, the proposed edit was a massive deviation from what the author originally wrote.

Which of course is the reason two different users selected the same reason:

This edit deviates from the original intent of the post. Even edits that must make drastic changes should strive to preserve the goals of the post's owner.

In the future, instead of massive changes to an existing answer, submit a high-quality answer yourself.

My edit absolutely does not change the original author's intent.

The community does not agree. I would agree with the users, who rejected your edit, your edit deviated from what the author said.

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    I would argue the answer in question isn't all that great, the author who wrote the answer is vague in their instructions and didn't bother to learn how to do something but instead said "they didn't know how" which isn't useful.
    – Ramhound
    Nov 19, 2018 at 18:11
  • Please see my edits to this question @Ramhound.
    – Ian Kemp
    Nov 20, 2018 at 9:59
  • @IanKemp - Your edit change the author's words in that second bullet. There isn't anything you can say that will change my mind about that single point, and would be the reason, I would have rejected the edit myself (both as a community editor and as an answer author myself).
    – Ramhound
    Nov 20, 2018 at 16:19
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You should have made your own answer, instead of editing someone else's.

2

Feels like the right move here would be to post your own answer - one that wasn't a rambling instruction and self contained in a manner that wasn't.

I've seen a few epic edits - but sometimes you gotta be in it for yourself

1
  • Please see my edits @JourneymanGeek.
    – Ian Kemp
    Nov 20, 2018 at 19:28

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