Posting Logs and Config Files: Helpful or too specific?

Question

Let's say User X posts this question:

I'm using Ubuntu 11.04 Alpha 2 and whenever I go to google.com it goes to fleshbot instead. It's a fresh install and I'm using OpenDNS. My HOSTS file is as follows:

    # The hosts file assigns the name of a web page/site on the Internet  
    # to an IP address. This bypasses the normal DNS system.  
    # Each entry should be on a single line. The IP address should`
    # start in the first column followed by one or more spaces  
    # followed by the web page/site name. 
    #
    # Any line, such as this one, that starts with a number sign is a comment  
    # Comments can also appear on a line with a real entry as shown below  
    #  
    # Sample Entries:  
    #      123.98.76.54     news.yahoo.com      # Yahoo News  
    #       44.11.22.33     www.google.com      # Google Home Page  
    127.0.0.1       localhost  
    21.124.223.123  www.google.com
    #User X is such a jerk LOL

   The output of ifconfig is as follows:
   eth0      Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr 00:0F:20:CF:8B:42
          inet addr:217.149.127.10  Bcast:217.149.127.63  Mask:255.255.255.192
          UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1
          RX packets:2472694671 errors:1 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:44641779 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
          RX bytes:1761467179 (1679.8 Mb)  TX bytes:2870928587 (2737.9 Mb)
          Interrupt:28 

Would/should this question be closed as too specific?
Would/should this question be edited to be more general? Et cetera.

Answer 1

The question should definitely not be closed. We should reward askers who give enough details, not complain about them! Would you rather see this?

whenever i go to google.com it goes to fleshbot instead help plz urgent

If the details are irrelevant, too bad. If other details are missing, ask in a comment.

An answer should primarily try to solve the asker's problem. If you can make it more general, all the better. In such situations, it's common that if the asker knew where to look, they could have solved it for themselves, so if you can, help them help themselves next time. But that's your job as an answerer, not the asker's job.

Answer 2

Would/should this question be closed as too specific?

Would it be closed ? I won't.

Should it be closed ? No.

Should it be edited ? Preferably, yes changing whenever I visit x it goes to y to whenever I visit any site I get redirected to some other unintended site, how can I fix this ?

Answer 3

I think the question might be better served on Ask Ubuntu.
Otherwise I would only recommend placing the log inside a <pre> block.
Have a look at the Editing Help page.