Quarterly LQ Zero Reply Drive
 

One of the main goals of LQ is to help members get questions about Linux answered. One way we help facilitate this is with the "Zero Reply" functionality, which allows you to easily find threads with no replies. As previously announced, we've made the "Zero Reply Drive" a quarterly event here at LQ. The latest LQZRD will start at noon today (LQDT) and run for 96 hours. During that time, I invite everyone to click http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...p?do=noreplies and attempt to answer as many questions as they can.

Keep in mind that if you'd like to search for threads on specific topics that have 0 replies, you can do so using the advanced search (Find Threads with -> At Most -> 0 Replies).

If you have any ideas on how we can further facilitate questions being answered at LQ, please let us know in this thread.

--jeremy

The latest Zero Reply Drive has officially started with 358 Threads with 0 replies (from the last month).

--jeremy

What is the correct thing to do to/about 0-reply posts that are tagged "[solved]"?

Well, I would reply to them, just to take them off the list, but maybe Jeremy can fix it.

So would I, but I want to be sure that it's the right thing to do.

The has actually come up before. I'd recommend you post, asking the OP what they did to solve the problem so that everyone else who finds the thread can benefit.

--jeremy

The latest Quarterly LQ Zero Reply Drive is officially over and here are the results:

Thanks again to everyone who participated - we were able to knock the number of threads with no replies down by over 100. If you have any suggestions on how we can improve tis quarterly effort, let us know.

I dealt with the solved ones as you said.

Thanks H_TeXMeX_H.

--jeremy

no-reply threads
 

I think this is great.I use these forums on a daily basis and I am glad to help someone.

0-replies marked "[SOLVED]"
 

Back to 0-replies marked "[SOLVED]":

I re-ran my search on "[SOLVED]" & "At Most" "0" Replies. I found 89 more dating back as far as 09-04-04: http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...mounts-226693/
posted by mengoshmink whose stats show "Last Activity: 09-12-10"; so this individual might at least see a msg. asking for the solution.

Might we automatically go after all solved 0-reply threads that are less than 6 months old & older ones if the OP has LQ activity in the last 3 months?

This is an area where I'd like to help, but I don't want to overdo (edit) or overstep.

I don't see a problem asking the OP to post a solution in the cases you've listed. Note that for some of them I notice the OP edited the original post and has added a solution.

--jeremy

Well I must admit that it is difficult for me to keep my mouth shut for a long time so here's another suggestion which of course everyone is free to ignore.

Some people might not bother clicking the "Zero Reply Threads" from the "Quick links" menu or reading the "zero reply mails". In that case if the number of replies in the "Replies" column is 0 and that 0 is highlighted, it might catch the attention of those kinds of people...

I appreciate your effort, but I think (particularly in these kind of cases) that it is better to advise OP to post their solution in a new post rather than editing their original post, in addition to whatever you wrote there.

I thought about that, & decided I wanted no avoidable hint of negativity in my 1st post to such a thread. Perhaps the 2nd post suggestion might be saved for a subsequent thank you post after OP posts the solution.

I am not looking for an argument here, but assuming that OP will post a "solution" post to the same thread might not help. The same OP might repeat his deed of the editing the first post, if not corrected then and there itself. And politely reminding the OP of his misdeed is necessary for ...

or have I read you incorrectly ?

... nor am I. In fact, your suggestion is good & I am using it, here's my sample text:

I had to look up Google for 'oxymoronic'. Yes, I have studied the figures of speech but still I request you to have some pity on the non native English speakers :D

Thanks for catching my typo.

As for "oxymoron(ic)", it's become pretty common in American English in the last 20 or 30 years -- it's not just literary & pedantic any more. When it was taught in a college prep. English class, I figured that it's not a word to use on a construction site or in an army barracks; not if you want to be considered normal. I think it was in 1985 that I 1st heard it in everyday speech, so I use it w/o worrying about it being an unknown to my audience.

The alternative for those of us who care about the non-native speakers in our audience would be to make every possibly problematic word a link, e.g. oxymoron. The problem is that that can begin to look pedantic (:)), as well as being extra work.

Besides, I'll bet you'll only have to Google it once ;).

Sorry, but in any language that I don't know well, I have to use a dictionary once in a while. Technically even in English sometimes.

Well, 'onebuck' does it every time, I mean the word-linking system :D
but this doesn't mean that other people have to do the same. Can't these problematic words be simply avoided and the whole statement be written in a plain and basic English ? :)

and I looked up Google for nearly 3 minutes, couldn't find anything helpful WRT 'oxymoronic' and then I closed the Google tab and moved ahead.

Yes, it can be avoided, but then proper expression is hampered. I have recently noticed that in some languages that do this, it causes problems in being able to properly express oneself. So, just use a dictionary, something like:
http://dictionary.reference.com/
which I have bookmarked, and everything will be ok.

Then perhaps a dictionary link should be provided with every such post ;)

Search for unanswered questions?
 

Hi Jeremy,

I haven't frequented the forums in a while, so this may have been touched on a lot already, but have you guys thought about implementing a search for unanswered questions?

It's probably far from the norm, but sometimes the original poster may reply back to their own thread with additional information, but still won't have received replies from anyone else.

Then there is also the case where others will reply, but nothing is resolved.

Thanks for the site!

This was implemented awhile ago: Zero Reply Search. It can be found in the menu bar to the right hand of the screen.

Hi XavierP,

Not sure if you're replying to me or not, but if you are, I was referring to cases that the Zero Reply Search (ZRS) wouldn't catch. Those where the original poster replied back to their own thread to give further clarification, but the question still wasn't solved.

Ah, I understand. That would be a more complex search than the current engine can handle, I believe. You would need a search for all threads where there is only one poster but multiple posts and where the title is not [SOLVED}.

But yes, you're correct, the ZRS would not catch those by design - the aim of the ZRS is to pick up those threads with only one post. Not sure how we could stop people responding to their own threads and bumping themselves off the ZRS really.

Hmm... reading this thread and the discussion regarding zero replies on [SOLVED] threads.

I just recently added one of those ( [SOLVED] RSSOwl and -current update Nov 29 ) in which I described the problem I was having and included my solution in the first post. Then later marked it as solved.

Perhaps I should have created two post? The first with the problem, the second with the solution?

Maybe I should have waited a while to mark the thread as solved?

IMO, yes to both, except that you had the solution when you 1st posted. What might make the most sense would be to ask for feedback in the OP, then wait several days or even weeks to mark it "[SOLVED]" & if there have been no other posts add one.

W/ your post, you could unmark it "[SOLVED]" & edit in a request for others' experience, especially other options. (Hope I didn't put my foot in it suggesting that there could be other options -- I am guessing that it might be possible.)

Finally, I'm not sure other LQ-ers see the illogic of [SOLVED] 0-reply, or are bothered at all by it. To me, however, it is at least a contradiction in terms, if not a true oxymoron

How about prefixing the subject of threads that give information with [FYI]? Or are we adamant that this is Linux Questions, not Linux Answers?

More thoughts regarding Zero Reply [SOLVED] threads. A [SOLVED] tag does not prevent others from contributing to the thread. I did consider adding my thoughts on why the problem occurred and why the solutions worked. That may have simulated further discussion, thus adding replies to the thread. I didn't because it wasn't all that relevant to fixing the problem.

I tagged my one post thread as [SOLVED] because it was solved. I also think most folks when presented with a page of thread subjects on a search they are more likely to open those marked [SOLVED] first. If a thread is tagged [SOLVED] then why worry if it has zero replies.

What matters most to me at least is that someone got something useful out of that post. A reply is not needed.

Edit: An advanced search for zero replies prefixed with [SOLVED] shows only three. A search for any prefix with zero replies showed 600.

There are only 3 because, after asking permission, I systematically went through the list & "fixed" them. The one remaining from 2004 is there because, based on his other postings, I am not sure of how phrase a friendly (I like the guy) reply. The other 2 I haven't noticed yet because I haven't run my search recently.

OK. Sorry in advance if this bothers anyone and I am not directing this at anyone, but... Why do [SOLVED] zero reply threads need to be fixed? Sounds more like a numbers game to me.

Why not just have Zero Reply Threads exclude threads with the [SOLVED] prefix.

Note that I said "fixed", not fixed. Or to be super correct, I said '"fixed"', not 'fixed'. I did that to indicate my recognition that there is a difference of opinion here, & that this is almost trivial enough to be a matter of taste. Please let's acknowledge that we differ, drop the matter, & go on to more productive things. TIA.

Do we need an olive branch smiley?

Ok, I'm glad you \f\i\x\e\d them.

i think it's a good idea.

i register for appricating a old post which help me.

Thks LQ and GOOGLE

thank you!!!

239 unanswered threads.... well its better than 358 unanswered threads