Example:
What are the advantages of a fixed IP address?
The advantages of fixed ip addresses are technical facts.
My question is: Why is this question closed as "primarily opinion-based"?
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1"In my world…" already shows you why it's opinion-based.– Oliver Salzburg ModCommented Jun 15, 2015 at 13:00
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@OliverSalzburg No, while funny and possibly funnier than my jab, that is not true.– Erik ICommented Jun 15, 2015 at 13:15
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@ErikI - Its the simple fact. A question listing the advantages and/or the disadvantages of a specific choice is not a good question on a Q&A website. A good question for Superuser normally attempts to solve a problem. The advantages of using something, while an answer MIGHT be backed by facts, often is not.– RamhoundCommented Jun 15, 2015 at 16:36
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@Ramhound That I can agree on (haven't really though through it yet). The point I am arguing is that the question is closed for a wrong reason: calling an obvious technical question "primarily opinion-based". I am the only one who can see the difference between "what is best" and this?– Erik ICommented Jun 15, 2015 at 19:41
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1@ErikI - The author wanted a listed of advantages, those types of questions, are not on topic. Alright; So the chosen selection might be wrong, doesn't really matter the question isn't on topic.– RamhoundCommented Jun 15, 2015 at 20:19
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1 Answer
Yes it would use facts, but deciding which facts to put forth as the advantage or disadvantage is based on personal preference and opinion.
One person who thinks being identified with the same IP across sessions and sites is a good thing. For someone else they would rather the IP change as often as the hour.
What is the actual issue here?
Q: I can't decide if I should pay more for a fixed IP address
A: Why do you want a fixed IP address?
Q: I don't know
These questions are based on the fear of missing out. That unless you read yet another page listing technical details and have another set of people tell you, you might miss out on something because you still can't decide why you're looking at it.
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"One person who thinks being identified with the same IP across sessions and sites is a good thing. " Lets stick to the question instead of coming up with explanations: The question was not about advantages and disadvantages, -it was just about advantages and we can easily give a good answer to that. That answer is valuable for anyone who is curious enough to wonder what this option is for and cares to google for "advantages of static ip on home broadband". It will most likely be valid for years as long as Internet stays basically the same as today.– Erik ICommented Jun 15, 2015 at 13:25
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"These questions are based on the fear of missing out. That unless you read yet another page listing technical details and have another set of people tell you, you might miss out on something...". How is this relevant to closing the question?– Erik ICommented Jun 15, 2015 at 13:32
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1You cannot list advantages void of disadvantages. They are part and parcel and dependent on the needs or wants of the person asking. It's the same as asking for product recommendations because you want to list why one service or type is better than another. Which is out of scope.– random ModCommented Jun 15, 2015 at 13:35
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"You cannot list advantages void of disadvantages." Sounds smart but is wrong as proved by: "If x ha a static ip address it means you can point to x using regular DNS."– Erik ICommented Jun 15, 2015 at 13:43
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1@ErikI - The community in general does not agree with that point of view.– RamhoundCommented Jun 15, 2015 at 16:40
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@Ramhound would the community be kind enough to consider coming up with another excuse for closing useful questions when "primarily opinion-based" is provably false?– Erik ICommented Jun 15, 2015 at 19:43
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2@ErikI - Its a question that wasn't closed for 4 years, because of luck, and people like myself were not around to flag low quality question like it. My personal opinion is that any question asking a list of advantages is best outside of a Q&A format.– RamhoundCommented Jun 15, 2015 at 20:20
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2It is, after all, also an open-ended question. Any answer would be equally valid. What problem needs to be solved? That'd make a better question. @ErikI– slhck ModCommented Jun 16, 2015 at 14:18
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It's the open-ended nature that makes questions like these inappropriate for Super User. The fact we vote on answers confirms we're looking for the best answer to a question, and "best" is a measurable, definitive quality. When a Q can correctly be answered by multiple, equally-valid answers you're no longer participating on a Q&A site but rather a forum. Commented Jun 19, 2015 at 13:53