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I asked this question last night just before going to bed. In summary, the question was "Why does my browser ask me before it will make an HTTPS connection?"

I've got two answers now, but both have answered a different question, "What possible reasons do browsers have for warning before entering some HTTPS connections?"

I've edited the question to clarify that, yes, the situation is insane, but I imagine it's too late now, as my question now has two upvoted (but wrong) answers.

What should I do? I don't want to have the answers deleted, as they are good answers, just to the wrong question. How about I instead edit the question to match the answers and then re-ask my original question?

UPDATE: I've rewritten the original question. I'll re-ask at a later date, making clear I'm talking about all HTTPS links and that I'm talking about any browser that does this.

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  • You still write it only happens sometimes and leave open whether it happens for all sites but not always, or only for some sites.
    – Daniel Beck Mod
    Commented Nov 6, 2011 at 8:54
  • @DanielBeck - That's the rewrite to fit the answers I have. The original question I wanted to ask happened for all HTTPS links.
    – billpg
    Commented Nov 6, 2011 at 11:53
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    They answered the right question, which is what they should do. Indeed, asking a new question, the one you meant, is what you should do.. But add a note that it's different to question blah, so it doesn't get closed by an over-zealous moderator as a duplicate. With your later date question, put -some- in the title.
    – barlop
    Commented Nov 7, 2011 at 12:22

1 Answer 1

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Because they are answering the question as written, not some question that you wanted to ask but didn't because you wrote badly.

The question as it originally stood actually was the question that you say it not to be. It doesn't really need much editing from that form to match the answers given. Its title talks of "browsers", in the plural, and nowhere in the question did you mention specifics. You say — now — that you meant to ask about your specific WWW browser on your specific mobile 'phone giving a specific error message. That is not what you wrote, though. It is no wonder that people answered the question that you asked, rather than the question that you wanted to ask, but did not.

I've said this many times before, and I say it again: Ask the question that you actually want answered, not some other question. Write well, in coherent English, and say what you mean. Follow the standard litany. If you are asking about a specific WWW browser and a specific error message on a specific platform, then name the WWW browser and platform and provide the error message verbatim. Don't expect the world to be clairvoyant. Don't expect the world to read "Why do WWW browsers give error messages about …?" and creatively misunderstand it to mean "Why does WWW browser X on platform Y give error message Z when I do action A?". Don't expect the world to magically know "what I really meant", or to know who you are, what your computers do, and what your goals are.

Expend your time on a well phrased, informative, specific, and accurate question, instead of on daft "Why? Why? Why?" rhetoric — that, properly, should be edited out.

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  • I was not asking about a specific browser. I've seen lots of browsers do this, and I wanted to know why in the general case. I only mentioned the specific phone model because someone directly asked. I thought of resonding "I'm not telling you", but that seemed a bit rude. I accept I should have made the all HTTPS links aspect of my question clearer, hence my asking here if its acceptable to re-ask it, while leaving the first question standing in it's present form.
    – billpg
    Commented Nov 5, 2011 at 11:58

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