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I have recently raised an issue here on Meta about suspension for commenting. As comments were deleted and I could not register all of them, some users may ask themselves if in those missing comments there may be hidden some fault of any involved part.

Since only moderators can retrieve deleted comments, in these scenarios, where the main point of the issue is about commenting, couldn't moderators provide the whole commentary log for reference in the Meta question? Otherwise, people have to make a half-judgement based on what they can't see and making a proper account of the facts is very difficult if not impossible.

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    Deleted comments cannot be restored on the original post it was posted on AFAIK, if you think there are worth keeping for discussion, your best bet is to ask a moderator to include these on the body of your question.
    – CaldeiraG
    Commented Nov 16, 2020 at 13:49

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people have to make a half-judgement based on what they can't see and making a proper account of the facts is very difficult if not impossible.

The only people who had to make a judgement are members of the SuperUser moderation team.

  • The original question was about MacOs not Linux

  • Your comments were all about Linux and were irrelevant to the the original question and the answer you were commenting on.

  • Some of them were be considered to be harassment which is against our Code of Conduct.

  • Comments that are not needed are deleted.

If you don't agree with any of the decisions made by the Moderation Team you can contact Stack Exchange:

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  • Thank you for your input, David. But my understanding is that the discussion of the merits and faults of the linked issue would be better placed in the linked question itself, so you may want to update this particular answer in such a way that it more directly answers the main question at hand (namely, can mods provide deleted comments when an issue is about the deleted comments?). Of course, that is just a suggestion. Have a nice day!
    – user596332
    Commented Nov 18, 2020 at 12:00
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Can they: Yes.

Should they: No.

Comments are, by their very nature, ephemeral. Once they have served their useful purpose they can be deleted at any time.

If any valid but long-winded academic discussion takes place over many comments, then often a moderator will move them aside into a dedicated chat room, where the thread can be continued without disturbing the regular Question/Answer areas.

If any thread runs completely out of kilter, then there is absolutely no reason to ever revive or preserve it. Usually simply deleting the comment thread will put an end to any argument, as it is difficult [by design] to ping someone on Stack Exchange in order to continue it.

The number of times a deleted thread would ever need resurrecting is vanishingly small. Resurrecting any argument or disagreement would benefit no party involved. Airing dirty washing is not the purview of Stack Exchange.
If one was needed for moderator review, it is already within their ability to see the entire thread. Moderator decisions are not normally shared in public, though the individuals themselves may be notified of any decisions made.

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Yes, it has been done before. But, as the linked issue shows, providing comments is done at moderators' choice. It may be refused.

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