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Evan Carroll
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How come you can ask an unqualified "how do I do $x?"

This is in response to this question

I'm going to try one more way to address this. How come you can't ask,

  • Does $x exist?

But you can ask,

  • How do I do $x?

The question,

  • Do any 4TB single-sided NVME drives exist?

Is subject to the answer being "no" and the answer "yes" will require a specific example of existence for qualification and acceptance.

However, Is that not also true of many questions in the form?

  • "How do I .."

In most instances, if you're asking an unbounded "how" you don't know that it can be done. You're assuming it can be done. Moreover, it's not tied to a product you're going to open the the answers up to demonstrating how this can be done, using usually an unspecified tool... Examples,

This isn't all the questions: it's a very enumerated list. And it doesn't include questions that omit the "how do I" and leave it implicit,

While slightly awkward in English if,

  • How do I download all Flickr sets/images?

is acceptable and open to suggestions of products that may fit that function, if they exist. Would this be acceptable,

  • How do I upgrade my laptop's NVME hard drive past 4 GB, none of the drives fit?

As it would also only be solved with at least a suggestion of a product that may fit the needs I have?

Evan Carroll
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