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I was looking for backup/archival solutions and wondered about the possibility of using (one or more) SSDs. Before asking, I searched for duplicates and I found:

Would an SSD be a good option as a backup drive?

(which by the way says that using SSD is not recommended, as after all I was expecting). I was surprised to see that it has been closed as off topic. Since I think that it is already a valid question I am unable to provide a suggestion which could "salvage" it.

If someone could explain to me why it is off-topic, I could be able to suggest an edit (I see some issues with the question as it currently stands, it's probably not perfect: but I fail to see the offtopicness).

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    Not constructive is a better close reason, than offtopic. Not constructive: As it currently stands, this question is not a good fit for our Q&A format. We expect answers to be supported by facts, references, or specific expertise, but this question will likely solicit debate, arguments, polling, or extended discussion.
    – Sathyajith Bhat Mod
    Commented May 14, 2013 at 15:59
  • ok, that would be more in line with some of the issues that I perceive (maybe more lessical than semantical, like e.g. asking for SU's "opinion"). I think that there is a valid question, along the lines of something like "Reasons for dismissing SSDs as backup/archival devices"
    – Francesco
    Commented May 14, 2013 at 16:02
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    @Francesco The problem with questions starting with words like "Reasons" is that the number of possible reasons is, well, infinity. When you look at a question, imagine that you are an incredibly smart and resourceful person, and you have stored all facts and knowledge in your brain, ready for archival. Armed with infinite facts, how many times could you "answer" this question with a valid, acceptable and correct answer? With a question like "Reasons", the answer is, infinity. That's why it's a bad fit for the Q&A format; it encourages debate and discussion, not one answer.
    – allquixotic
    Commented May 14, 2013 at 16:52
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    That is to say, even discounting incorrect answers (like "SSDs are bad for archival because termites eat wood"), the number of possible, valid, correct answers is still infinity. That's what makes the question unfit for a Q&A site.
    – allquixotic
    Commented May 14, 2013 at 16:54
  • @allquixotic I see your point, and I didn't presume that my suggestion would be good enough to turn the question in a good fit. But I also think that maybe you are a bit too strict in your literal interpretation: it's true that there are infinite possible answers to a lot of questions, but not always these are equally "reasonable" and not subjective. As soon as I have time (probably tonight) I will try my hand with the question, since I continue to think that it is possible to recover the basic idea and that it could be proper for a site like this.
    – Francesco
    Commented May 15, 2013 at 8:42
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    I think the real problem is exhibited right here: "What is superuser's opinion?" A better question would ask more along the lines of what the longevity of current SSDs is for long-term storage, and ask for objective information comparing SSD and HDD technology to determine which is a more reliable long-term storage solution.
    – nhinkle Mod
    Commented May 15, 2013 at 17:07
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    @allquixotic Huh? Why does the number of possible answers matter? The number of possible answers for any programming questions (for example) is infinity. Think about how many variations to the source code there could be.
    – NickG
    Commented May 17, 2013 at 15:21
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    @NickG Programming questions are off-topic for SuperUser, so that is pointless to contemplate. We don't necessarily have the same rules here as StackOverflow, so don't assume that we do. Our culture and our rules are adjusted to accommodate the topics we discuss.
    – allquixotic
    Commented May 18, 2013 at 0:22

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I've proposed an edit of the question, with the hope that it may be re-opened. Obviously, my suggestions could be not good enough, but at least I tried :-)

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    That edit looks fine. I reopened the question, which already had gathered two reopen votes from other users.
    – slhck Mod
    Commented May 26, 2013 at 14:24
  • That's a good news, thanks @slhck.
    – Francesco
    Commented May 26, 2013 at 15:07

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