date stringlengths 10 10 | nb_tokens int64 60 629k | text_size int64 234 1.02M | content stringlengths 234 1.02M |
|---|---|---|---|
2023/08/10 | 697 | 2,715 | <issue_start>username_0: What will happen if to train an LLM on taking integrals and solving equations? The process of mathematical education can be absolutely automated by a computer algebra system because the verification is easy.
Is it possible that LLM will gan the ability to take integrals and simplify expressions better than the computer algebra system itself?<issue_comment>username_1: Depends what you mean by 'better' (in what sense?).
Nevertheless, though it is possible that an LLM can solve algebra, in general it shall not offer any benefit than a computer algebra system (again depends on what is 'better', and assuming a fair comparison).
This is because in doing so an LLM needs to deal with both the *language* and the *math*, while computer algebra system only needs to work on the math. It is like a top human runner and a vehicle - in general vehicle moves faster because this is what they are crafted solely for.
And a few words on the comments - finding rhymes is *NOT* like solving equations, because no rhymes is *wrong* (even if it sounds terrible, but that's subjective); but there is straight *wrong* in solving equations.
On the other hand, there are efforts to discover and improve algorithms, most notably [Google's AlphaTensor](https://www.deepmind.com/blog/discovering-novel-algorithms-with-alphatensor). However it has nothing to do with LLM, but a lot to do with RL.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: If you're interested in research on using LLMs for arithmetic tasks, [Goat: Fine-tuned LLaMA Outperforms GPT-4 on Arithmetic Tasks](https://arxiv.org/abs/2305.14201) is a nice recent (May 2023) article.
If you're interested in research on using LLMs for more advanced mathematics, [MiniF2F](https://paperswithcode.com/sota/automated-theorem-proving-on-minif2f-test) is a common benchmark. Check out the papers linked from the leaderboard.
If you're looking for LLM models or datasets for mathematics, <https://huggingface.co/hoskinson-center> and <https://leandojo.org/> are good starting points.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: >
> Is it possible that LLM will gan the ability to take integrals and simplify.
> expressions better than the computer algebra system itself?
>
>
>
Possibly, but not in one run - i.e., if you instruct it and train it to analyse and simplify step by step, while writing this out, and it fits into the context - it is an experiment.
You may also want to STILL use a GAN approach with multiple LLM working on the problem - one writing, others correcting. Which requires a multi-step approach.
Otherwise: no. Math has specific elements that do not really work well with a "forward only" approach of a neural network.
Upvotes: 1 |
2023/08/13 | 777 | 2,469 | <issue_start>username_0: Within the Sigmoid Squishification function,
```
f(x) = 1/(1 + e^(-x))
```
"e" is unnecessary, as it can be replaced by any other value that is not `0` or `1`. Why is "e" used here?
As shown below, the function is working well without that, and in replacement, any other number that's greater than 1. All of them
* Squish the number between 0 and 1
* Reach (0, 0.5)
* Make an "S" curve
* Has a working derivative
* Have similar derivatives, with Maximas varying on the replacement of Euler's number
The function and derivative with "d" as the parameter replacement can be written as:
```
const sigmoid = (x, d) => 1/(1 + d**(-x));
const sigmoid_derivative = (x, d) => (d**x) * Math.log(d) / ((d**(x)) + 1)**2;
```
<https://www.desmos.com/calculator/xpkhdijt3v>
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/6Og3l.png)<issue_comment>username_1: The choice of $e$ is convenient when taking derivatives.
Compare $\frac{d}{dx} \exp(x)$ to $\frac{d}{dx} a^x$ for any other $a > 0$.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: If $d$ is a positive real number different from $1$, then
$$d^{-x}=e^{-x\ln(d)}$$
So $d^{-x}$ is obtained from $e^{-x}$ by a horizontal shrink (when $\ln(d)>1$, that is $d>e$) or by a horizontal stretch (when $\ln(d)<1$, that is $0).
The general shape of the graph is the same but it is raising faster from (close to) $0$ to (close to) $1$ when $d$ is large.
The choice of $e$ is convenient as the derivative of $e^x$ is slightly simpler than $d^x$ (as explained by @username_1), making it the default choice in the mathematical literature.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: To add to other answers: Note that the usefulness of $e$ as the base is not limited to this particular case of sigmoid activation function. It is **the go-to base** in so many areas of mathematics because of many nice properties (including the reasons given in other answers); see e.g. the [exponential function](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exponential_function) in Wikipedia.
In fact, the choice is so natural (pun intended) that if any other base was chosen, people would ask the question "$d$ is unnecessary, why not just use $e$ as the base?"
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: $f$ is the unique function such that $f(0) = \frac{1}{2}$ and $f'(x) = f(x)(1 - f(x))$. Using $e$ is necessary to make sure the derivative takes this very simple form.
Upvotes: 2 |
2023/08/25 | 273 | 1,142 | <issue_start>username_0: For any type of ANN, is there a common formula which can be used to calculate size of a neural network?<issue_comment>username_1: I've most often heard of the metric, parameters. I.e. The number of tunable parameters in a model. For a fully connected layer this is:
parameters = ((c\*p)+1)\*c
Where c is the number of neurons in the previous layer and p is the number of neurons in the current. Do this for each layer and add. Convolutional layers, GRUs, LRUs, etc will have their own formula.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: There are a few ways to define "size" of a neural network. The parameter count was previously mentioned, but depending on the circumstances other values may be more important.
FLOPs may be a good metric (the number of floating point operations during an inference or during training). This can inform your hardware choices as this determines time to train or infer.
File size (in MB or GB) may also be valuable. Can you load a particular model into your VRAM? How much disk space do I need?
Size is fairly vague so there are different metrics that can describe it.
Upvotes: 0 |
2023/08/29 | 1,676 | 7,066 | <issue_start>username_0: Having used various AI bots often over recent months, I noticed that often it will claim to know something, even if it doesn't.
It would then either explain something which is clearly nonsense, or by rambling on about how the answer isn't known in general.
Or how, if asked for example- "would you be able to explain X" it wouldn't respond "yes, I could" but rather would elucidate X.
Have they been trained to always respond as though it were a know-it-all?
(Google's Bard and ChatGPT specifically, although I'm assuming only open-source AI will be answerable)<issue_comment>username_1: >
> Have they been trained to always respond as though it were a know-it-all?
>
>
>
Yes, sort of, although it is not in some attempt to upset you or other users.
The language models used in the chat bots [have been fine-tuned in conversations with users](https://proceedings.neurips.cc/paper_files/paper/2022/hash/b1efde53be364a73914f58805a001731-Abstract-Conference.html), and also have been ["pre-prompted" to be *helpful assistants*](https://www.reddit.com/r/ChatGPT/comments/10ehfjj/what_is_the_preprompt/). This impacts the kind of text that they generate.
Separately to this, the fact that they are often incorrect or generate nonsense is a limitation of the core technology. There is no underlying world model, the model cannot self-assess whether anything it generates is correct. Although the large language models can often surprise users (including the original developers) in the breadth of what they can respond to correctly and give the appearance of understanding, the same models can also fail easily at apparently simple tasks. This can cause some cognitive dissonance for users who expect an AI that appears to communicate like an intelligent human to be able to perform simple maths for example.
There is probably no global default chat *tone* that would suit all users. You could however use the raw model more directly and create a chatbot with a different tone to suit you. This would not impact accuracy, and would not add ability to self-assess correctness, but it may address feeling of being talked down to for example. Some services, like Character AI, attempt to give you tools to do just that, although the level of usefulness you get from them will depend on what they focus on (Character AI is more for creative fun, than for functional assistants).
In limited cases you can also address accuracy with pre-prompts or fine tuning that put a few facts into working memory. This is limited, and cannot address lack of general ability in logic or maths though. Corporate users can do this to give a chat bot some basic product knowledge or correct address for their help desk etc.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Humans, who know things, tend to limit themselves to speaking of things they know, especially in print. Thus any text corpus you may find will have an overpopulation of examples of confidently presented answers.
Chatbots, which do not know things, cannot impose a similar limit and thus will babble at length on topics about which they know nothing. But because they are trained on those data of people writing about things they know, they will tend to mimic the same confident tone and style of those people.
It is very important to reiterate here again that chatbots *do not know things*. By good fortune, they may produce a text which happens to convey factually accurate information. But they may not, and because they do not know things, they do not in advance (or even in retrospect) if they can (or did) produce a factually accurate text or meaningless drivel.
Thus a chatbot (or its developer by proxy) has only two options available when asked a question. Option 1 is to attempt to generate an answer to every question. Option 2 is to answer every question with "I don't know." The latter is technically uninteresting and practically useless, so everybody chooses Option 1.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: It's quite simple really. LLM based generative AIs don't "know" anything. They're glorified next-word predictors. The only way that they're going to produce an answer to a prompt along the lines of "I don't know" is if their training corpus would indicate that that was the likely response a human would give to the same prompt.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: The only thing the bot "knows" is how to generate sequences of lexical symbols (ie. texts) that mimic what people have written in the corpus it has been trained on.
The output is based on the prompt using complex rules + some internal state (so that it seems to "remember" the past discussion). It is all just mathematics that is used to choose which symbols (ie. letters and punctuation) to output. It could be implemented just as well with pocket calculators, or even doing the math manually, albeit very slowly and very arduously.
There is nothing else to the bot. No knowledge, no reasoning, no needs, no goals, no personality. Basically just numbers manipulated in a complex way.
Whatever else you happen see in the output is always your interpretation. If you spot a need in the text, it is most likely there only because some actual person did write something that reflected their need, and from it, the bot learned such rules that the output mimics something that was written with emotion.
It is as sentient as a cartoon character in an animated movie. All emotions that you assume to be in the character/text originates from you.
So, why it looks like they feel the need to be know-it-alls? Because they mimic what people write, and people are like that.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: The main reason an AI model won't tell you "*I don't know*" is that the developer doesn't want you to get the impression that the model is incapable of answering your questions.
Imagine a scenario where you had several difficult or non-trivial questions that the model doesn't have the right answers for. If answers in the form of "*I don't know*" kept piling up, it will drive you away and make you less confident about getting an answer the next time you have a question.
So even if it gives an incorrect or inaccurate answer, by just giving an answer, it leaves you under the impression that sometimes it gives correct answers - sometimes it doesn't, and the next time you have a question you might return because you'd think it might give you a correct answer this time.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_6: The large language models underpinning these "AI" bots have indeed been tweaked to be biased against providing a negative response.
The simple reason being that the executives of the companies trying to sell "AI" as the Next Big Thing, believe they're less likely to make sales if their product appears to be unable to answer questions. Thus they instruct their engineers to train these models to divert, dodge and dissemble - even to plainly ridiculous lengths - when the model is incapable of coming up with an affirmative answer to the question asked.
Upvotes: -1 |
2023/09/01 | 1,337 | 4,789 | <issue_start>username_0: I am trying to understand how translation invariance is achieved in CNNs. For example, consider the following simple binary classification problem: predicting whether the letter that appears on an image is `A` or `B`.
We want our network to be translation invariant. That is, if we translate our input, the final output (i.e. the predicted probability) should be the same in both the original and the translated version of the image. Mathematically, we want:
$$y = f(T(x)) = f(x)$$
where $x$ is the original image and $T(x)$ its translated version. For example, in the following image:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/6JPhc.png)
our output $y$ must be the same.
Can someone explain how this translation invariance is achieved with the `MaxPooling` layers?
**My view (possibly wrong)**
First, I will present how I understand the network achieves this translation invariance and then I will provide an explanation why we need pooling.
1. Given that the feature maps of a CNN are equivariant (thanks to the convolution operation) as we translate the input these feature maps vary in the same way. That is, if a feature was present in position $x$ of the feature map, after we translate the image by $T$, it will appear now in position $T(x)$. Visualizing this:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/56Fkv.png)
And as we go deeper into the network where it learns to recognizes `A` or `B`, these feature maps will follow the same behavior. So assuming multiple `Conv` layers (reducing the dimensionality, e.g. from input `28x28` to `2x2`) eventually we will get either a `black` (presence of `A`) or a `white` pixel (not presence of `A`).
2. The case where I think `MaxPooling` is useful is if we consider a slightly different input image such as in the following example.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/xwch1.png)
Now the `\` edge has move slightly to the right compared to the `/`. This slight translation is captured by the first `Conv1` layer. But what about the `Conv2` layer? Will it be able to detect the presence of the edge?
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/XNf96.png)
This might not be the case as shown in the final image. In the right figure we must detect a face, but if the relative positions are slightly changed (mouth is translated slightly downwards), then we might not detect the face at all.
However, if we use a `MaxPooling` layer between `Conv1` and `Conv2` then we will get the same feature map as in the case of the original image (putting the feature again into "focus" for the next layer).<issue_comment>username_1: Take a vector: $V\_1 = [v\_1, v\_2, ..., v\_n]$
Calculate the max: $m\_1 = \max V\_1 = v\_i$
Shuffle the vector: $V\_2 = mix(V\_1)$
Calculate the max: $m\_2 = \max V\_2 = v\_j$
The only possible outcome is that $m\_1 = m\_2$
taking the maximum creates an invariance... if you keep on staking convolution and max pooling, ending up with a single value, then you are totally invariant to translation, instead if you stop before that, you are "almost" invariant"
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: When you apply a convolutional layer to an image $x$, you obtain a certain list of values:
$$h\_1(x), h\_2(x), h\_3(x), ..., h\_n(x) \tag 1$$
where each $h\_i$ is just the function that applies the convolutional filter to a particular patch of the image, and $n$ equals the number of patches (determined by the size of the filter, the size of the image, and the stride).
If the image $x$ consists of a solid blank background with some shape drawn on it, and you translate that shape within the image boundaries, producing a new image $x'$, now when you pass that in you'll get:
$$h\_1(x'), h\_2(x'), h\_3(x'), ..., h\_n(x') \tag 2$$
The point is that the list of values (2) is just a shuffling of the list of values (1). For example, if $h\_i(x)$ is the result of lining up the kernel with the top-left of the shape in $x$, then for some $j$ the function $h\_j$ will correspond to that same position for $x'$, and so $h\_j(x')=h\_i(x)$.
(This is not quite correct if the stride of the convolution is bigger than one - in that case what list of values you end up with depends on how the position of the shape in the image lines up with the stride, but the list (2) will still be "approximately" a shuffling of (1))
Now if the next step of your network involves piping all these values into some symmetric function such as **max** or **sum** or **mean**, the output of the network is guaranteed to be the same for $x'$ as for $x$.
Upvotes: 1 |
2010/09/13 | 2,992 | 11,188 | <issue_start>username_0: Are questions that belong to the category "What Apps Should I Get?" appropriate Android Enthusiasts? How about if they're asking for specific apps, such as "What are good RSS aggregator apps that integrate with Google Reader and allow offline reading?"<issue_comment>username_1: Most I have seen are list of X questions, and likely should be closed. Many answers are non-authoriatative and subjective, including my own on a GPS/traffic question.
It seems to be an abuse to simply make this a request board for app suggestions.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: **No!**
**Why?** Because there's no wrong answer, so anything would go.
**Does this mean I just add a bunch of rules to narrow the scope and then it is allowed?** Well still no, because answers tend to be valued for how much people like the mentioned app, not the usefulness or quality of the answer.
**Wouldn't making it community wiki solve the problem?** Again nope! Community Wiki is meant for questions that don't have a definitive answer and thus need some room for discussion or when the answers would benefit from collaboration of the community. The fact that there's no rep, doesn't change the fact that votes no longer equal quality, which is what our engine is designed for.
**So what to do?** Try asking a question that invites quality answers, that limits the amount of answers (it should be limited to one page of answers) and that explain how the app fits your specific needs.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: If they are subjective, then they should at the least be community wiki. Or closed, depending on how "generic" or "specific" the question is.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: If the question in subjective, I generally agree with username_2's answer, though I think there are usually good ways to re-phrase the question that are not subjective: Instead of "Which dinosaur app...", you could ask "What are the differences between these three dinosaur apps?" or "Are there any dinosaur apps?"
(Sorry, Dinosaurs were the first random topic that came to mind. I must be a five year old.)
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_5: Generic or specific questions should be made community. Like "What's the best traffic app?". Questions like "What apps should I get?" should be closed.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_6: I don't think it's appropriate to eliminate questions simply because they have a subjective element, especially if there is the question can invite objective answers. For example, I don't think a completely subjective question like "What's the funnest game app?" has any value. Questions like that shouldn't be asked, however, a similar app suggestion question like "What is the most effective anti-virus app?" is completely appropriate. This question invites quantitative responses that will add value to the community. If you use a particular app and you simply like it, then don't answer. If you have used several apps and have knowledge about something that makes one app definitively stand out from the rest, then by all means, share. I don't see the harm in this.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_7: I say yes, if they are phrased properly. "What is the best app?" is not a good question, but "What is the best app in the category Y?"(like email, notes, or fart-noise-making) is very appropriate.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_4: I think there is value to a generic, community wiki question when it provides answers a lot of people are going to look for. Phrasing the question, "What should *I* get?" is a bad idea, but maybe making a CW question that is generically useful for all users is not bad: "What is your favorite Twitter app and why?"
Check out the following CW questions on Stack Overflow. All of them have multiple "right" answers, but are highly rated and favorited by the community. In fact, these are some of the *highest* rated of all questions:
* [What is your single favorite development tool?](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/108631/what-is-your-single-favorite-development-tool)
* [What are your favorite Vim tricks?](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/95072/what-are-your-favorite-vim-tricks)
* [List of freely available programming books](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/194812/list-of-freely-available-programming-books) (1.4k upvotes and almost 2k favorites!)
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_8: I think a lot of good points have already been made here but after taking a look at the existing questions, I really think people need to take a good hard look at this:
* [What's the Best Security / Anti-virus App?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/277/whats-the-best-security-anti-virus-app)
* [Any good World time applications?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/81/any-good-world-time-applications)
* [What is the best music app?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/321/what-is-the-best-music-app)
* [Good Dictation / Transcription Software](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/275/good-dictation-transcription-software)
* [Are there any good firewalls available?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/143/are-there-any-good-firewalls-available)
* [Is there a good app for monitoring the amount of data traffic?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/45/is-there-a-good-app-for-monitoring-the-amount-of-data-traffic)
* [What is the best alternative to the stock camera app?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/247/what-is-the-best-alternative-to-the-stock-camera-app)
* [Whats the best app for identifying apps or settings that cause performance problems?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/268/whats-the-best-app-for-identifying-apps-or-settings-that-cause-performance-proble)
* [What are the best personal finance applications for Android?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/133/what-are-the-best-personal-finance-applications-for-android)
* [What do you use for note taking?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/305/what-do-you-use-for-note-taking)
* [Comparision of Twitter Apps](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/358/comparision-of-twitter-apps)
* [Alternative keyboards](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/56/alternative-keyboards)
* [What Lost Phone finder do you use and why?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/47/what-lost-phone-finder-do-you-use-and-why)
* [What replacements are available for Google Maps?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/227/what-replacements-are-available-for-google-maps)
* [What Android Apps do you pay for?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/52/what-android-apps-do-you-pay-for)
* [What Apps do you have that you have uninstalled for performance problems?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/167/what-apps-do-you-have-that-you-have-uninstalled-for-performance-problems)
*Edit - I missed a few, and more just keep coming and coming...*
* [What is the lightest homescreen replacement / launcher app?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/395/what-is-the-lightest-homescreen-replacement-launcher-app)
* [App available for stackexchange on android handset](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/338/app-available-for-stackexchange-on-android-handset) (ok, at least there are only a few of these)
* [What are the options for Tricorder apps?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/225/what-are-the-options-for-tricorder-apps)
* [Apps for RSS feed aggregator sites](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/402/apps-for-rss-feed-aggregator-sites)
* [Android app for linkedin integration.](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/346/android-app-for-linkedin-integration)
* [What voice privacy apps are available?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/329/what-voice-privacy-apps-are-available)
Guys, this is seriously awful. We are just **one day** into the beta and out of 109 questions on the site, **22** of them **(over 20%)** are about which apps are "good/bad/best" - yikes!
Worse, almost *none* of them are Community Wiki, so people are actually *gaining rep* for asking and answering the most mundane and subjective questions imaginable.
I think this list very dramatically illustrates the problem with allowing these questions. There's *no end* to them. What's the best compass app? What's the best flashlight app? What's the best ukelele simulation app? Gah!
Is this what we're going to be, just a glorified review site? Is it really *that* hard to just go to the market and read the reviews? The Android developers have already built us this beautiful rating and review system that you can access *right on your phone*. We don't need this fluff.
Please, please, let's start closing these questions. At the *very least* close them until we have moderators who can properly wikify them, but even then, I don't want to see people's 1-line recommendations taking up 20% of the site. This is turning into a land grab with everybody wanting to own one of the big bad 500+ upvoted poll questions. If we don't nip this in the bud, it's going to bite us *hard* later on.
---
P.S. I'm not saying *every* question about an app is bad. Here are two that are fine:
* [Is there an alarm clock app that takes account of personal and/or public holidays?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/332/is-there-an-alarm-clock-app-that-takes-account-of-personal-and-or-public-holidays)
* [How can I choose between Shazam and Midomi?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/322/how-can-i-choose-between-shazam-and-midomi)
In the first example, somebody is looking for a very *specific* app and has provided criteria to *significantly* narrow down the list of candidates. In the second example, the author is asking for a comparison of two *specific* apps. I see no problem with either of these.
I just don't want to see two hundred "Post your favourite [X] app" polls by the time we hit public beta.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_9: >
> What Apps Should I Get?
>
>
>
Should be closed as not a real question (too vague). Here are some similar questions that I imagine being asked:
>
> * What is your desert island top 5 apps?
> * Which app do you use the most?
> * Which app has changed your life and now you couldn't live without?
> * Which relatively unknown app do you think more people should know about?
>
>
>
I think this sort of question could be very popular and attract lots of answers and might even be an interesting read. I'd rather not see this type of question regularly, but it's almost inevitable that we'll get some popular questions of this type.
>
> "What are good RSS aggregator apps that integrate with Google Reader and allow offline reading?"
>
>
>
Yes, I think that's OK. It's answerable and it helps someone solve a specific need. In the definition phase of this site someone suggested this question:
>
> Is there an app/Which app is best that can do [task]?
>
>
>
This question received 6 ontopic votes and 0 offtopic votes. So this sort of question seems like it should be allowed. Also people are asking this type of question a lot, so it's obviously something people want to be able to ask.
Upvotes: 3 |
2010/09/13 | 1,487 | 5,157 | <issue_start>username_0: >
> **Possible Duplicate:**
>
> [Write and Elevator Pitch / Tagline](https://android.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/141/write-and-elevator-pitch-tagline)
>
>
>
Note:
-----
We are closing this domain naming thread. It is asking the *entirely* wrong question. See this blog post for details: [Domain Names: Wrong Question](http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2010/10/domain-names-the-wrong-question/)
We're going to keep the name android.stackexchange.com. But we WILL be setting up redirects from the more "popular" domains names. (e.g. seasonedadvice.com to cooking.stackexchange.com, basicallymoney.com to money.stackexchange.com, and others as we go through the list).
New question: "**Write and Elevator Pitch / Tagline!**"
[**Click here to contribute ideas and vote.**](https://android.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/141/write-and-elevator-pitch-tagline)
*[original message text below]*
---
Post your ideas for a dot-com domain name for this website, which captures the spirit and intent of the site, namely:
>
> {name} is intended for enthusiasts,
> power users, and regular people using
> the Android operating system.
>
>
>
Please follow these guidelines:
* **Check to see if the domain is taken before making the name suggestion**. Taken names, however clever, are not helpful. You can use whois.net to check availability. (Read this [post](http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2010/07/domain-names/) regarding squatted names).
* **Post one domain per answer**. This makes the voting process much easier. If domains are very similar (e.g. "dev" and "devs"), they can be in the same answer.
* **Make sure the domain wasn't already suggested**. To search within this question, use a search query such as: `inquestion:1 "example.com"` replacing `example.com` with the domain to search for.
* **When coming back to this question, make sure to sort the answers "newest first"**, as to not miss new proposals.<issue_comment>username_1: RoboticOverlords.[com/org]
==========================
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_1: HumanCyborgRelations.[com/org]
==============================
(and this is my counterpart, r2d2)
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: AndroidExchange.org
Edit: .com and .net was taken.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: AndroidMechanics.org
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: HandyAndy.org
and extra chars added to bypass the filter
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_5: RoboticBrainInfo.com
I feel that since androids are a compliment to our brains, in external form, we should graft a site name that compliments it's use.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_6: dragnotificationbar.com
-----------------------
Available
Was trying to think of something unique to android, and take some flavor from the other 2.0 sites and use a verb. Might be too long though.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_7: What about droidicted.com - Like android adicted as we all are
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_8: AskAnAndroid.com
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_9: **ElectricSheep.com** (as in "Do Androids Dream of...") is taken, but there's no real content there. I don't know if they'd be amenable to a purchase offer.
Of course, there's <NAME>'s heirs who might have something to say about it.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_9: **AlphabeticalDessert.com**
You know, Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, FroYo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb...
Of course, the misspelling AlphabeticalDesert will get snapped up by a spammer in five minutes.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_9: **GullibleStormtrooper.com**
"No, actually, these *are* the droids you're looking for."
A little esoteric. Not to mention the Lucasfilm lawsuit and the negative connection with WWII Germany.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_9: **LittleGreenRobot.com**
Sadly, currently squatted by someone else who appears to want to bring another Android site into the world.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: **RoboticBra.in** is available.....
inspired by [RoboticBrainInfo.com](https://android.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/5/what-should-our-domain-be/51#51)
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: **positroni.cc** (double-c because there is no .ic TLD that I can find to register with)
You know. From Asimov.
nevermind.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_8: **droid.io** for "Android Input/Output"
"I/O, refers to the communication between an information processing system, and the outside world possibly a human."
This fits in two ways:
1. In a way our community is an android related information processing system based on Inputs (Questions) and Outputs (Answers).
2. Android is itself a system of I/O
I know the .io is a little unconventional but I think the name flows nicely and it's short.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_10: **androiduprising.org**
*available*
maintains the playful tongue-in-cheek feel of stackoverflow, serverfault, etc... all while violating the three laws
.com is regestered (as of 5/10), but is not in use.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_11: **NotificationBar.com**
It got a few up-votes as a comment so I figured I'd post it as an answer as well.
Upvotes: 1 |
2010/09/13 | 321 | 1,420 | <issue_start>username_0: [Stack Overflow](http://stackoverflow.com) already has lots of questions regarding Android programming. Should this site try to stick to questions about using/owning an Android device, rather than developing for it? Or is the idea to include anything about Android devices?<issue_comment>username_1: My two cents:
If the question is programming related, SO makes the most sense to me. This may be a fair place for input regarding user interface questions during app development, though, so long as you can keep the question from being overly subjective. This is a site for Android users (and power users), not necessarily programmers.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Unless/until [the Android Developers suggestion at Area 51](http://area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/7418/android-developers) takes off, I think SO should be used for development questions.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: Programming questions should remain on [Stack Overflow](http://stackoverflow.com).
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: If the question is somewhat related to programming, such as building, developing, and debugging Android Apps, you should use Stack Overflow.
However, when the question is related to the Android Device, such as Hardware-related or software-related issues, using adb, and others, then you should post / ask the question on Android Enthusiasts.
Upvotes: 2 |
2010/09/14 | 348 | 1,382 | <issue_start>username_0: If you have some app for something that you like and are looking for other similar apps, is that an appropriate question?<issue_comment>username_1: I'm going to say that this depends on how specific it is. At the least, it should be community wiki. If it isn't specific enough, then it should be closed.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: This is still a list of X question, just rephrased. Consider it as a cooking.se question: 'I like macaroni and cheese, what are some other macaroni and cheese recipes?' It invites poor answers that have a subjective basis (especially here where it would often be localized to a particular handset).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: My opinion: If the question specifies *how* an app would be "like" X, as in providing a list of required features/constraints, then that's OK.
But in that case, you don't really need the "App X" in there. I suppose it doesn't *hurt*, but you could just say "I'm looking for an app with these 10 features."
Unless these questions are significantly constrained, there's no appreciable difference between them and [What X app should I get?](https://android.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/1/are-what-apps-should-i-get-questions-appropriate) questions. I'd at least be suspicious of any and all questions taking this format, as they are likely to be treated as polls.
Upvotes: 1 |
2010/09/14 | 141 | 553 | <issue_start>username_0: I have seen that some questions are tagged with `[android]`, but since this site is only about Android I don't see this tag usefull. Basically all questions should be tagged with that tag.
Can we black-list the `[android]` tag?<issue_comment>username_1: Sounds like a good idea to me.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: <NAME> nuked the Android tag. I re-tagged questions that were left as untagged.
I'm not sure if this means users still be able to add new questions with the tag or not.
Upvotes: 2 |
2010/09/14 | 496 | 1,776 | <issue_start>username_0: We've got a while, but no harm in starting to brainstorm now. Besides, I'm part web designer and I like thinking about these things, even if I don't have a lot of time to contribute in that regard right now.
Also, does anybody know: is there open licensing on the Android logo, or are there copyright issues involved?<issue_comment>username_1: According to <http://www.android.com/branding.html>
>
> 01/ Android Robot Can be **used, reproduced, and modified freely in marketing communications.** Our standard color value for print is PMS 376C. Our online hex color is **#A4C639**.
> When using the Android Robot or any modification of it, proper attribution is required under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution license. For more details on proper attribution, please see [this page](http://code.google.com/policies.html#attribution)
>
>
> Andoird Typeface/Logo may not be used.
>
>
>
Given that, I think if we maybe have a nice redux of the android style, like how Area51 is done, so it's not so similar to every other droid forum out there, but has it's own flair, that'd be nice.
With an emphasis on robots, so binary, and such. Maybe.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: We should definitely make the fav icon the normal robot
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: A community made font typeface is listed at <http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=3771562#post3771562>
I suggest someone with some creative skills try merging this with the Android logo somehow.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: As long as it shows how much we <3 Android!
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: Does it look weird to have a pull-able Notification Bar in a website?
Upvotes: 2 |
2010/09/14 | 222 | 964 | <issue_start>username_0: e.g. I want to ask a question if anyone has more details or has seen any update on when Sprint will be rolling out 4G to New York.
This is because I have an EVO 4G, which is an android phone. But the question itself is only indirectly related to android.<issue_comment>username_1: I would certainly hope that model-specific questions are appropriate, otherwise we've rendered the entire site impotent as a support resource.
However, your *specific* example question seems both speculative and not specific to Android, which probably *isn't* going to be considered on topic here.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Specific model/service provider questions are good -- but specific model compared to specific model questions are bad for multiple reasons
* subjective (usually, unless specs only)
* the market changes so fast -- comparing these two apples is pointless in another two months, I would think.
Upvotes: 1 |
2010/09/14 | 1,139 | 4,641 | <issue_start>username_0: Just another angle at defining the fuzzy boundaries of things here. Say I'm looking for a Books app with barcode scanning and GoodReads integration, is asking whether one exists and what it is on topic or too subjective?<issue_comment>username_1: I think this is a good question, but remembering that in a year from now, that app may not exist anymore.
I would love to be able to get an answer for these kinds of questions, because I don't think there is any other resource for this.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: The pertinent question, of course, is how much the additional criteria narrow it down.
For example, if you ask for a browser app with bookmarks, that's pretty lame - they all have that. Your example of a books app with barcode scanning and GoodReads integration is much better because it narrows it down to probably less than 5 or so apps.
Of course, the voting is still pretty meaningless, but at least it's not an open invitation for everybody to post their favourite app.
So for the most part, yes, I would say that the question *format* is valid, although individual questions would still have to be evaluated individually with respect to how meaningful the constraints are.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: Yes.
***My 2 cents:** This is a good question that needs to be answered in meta but I think theres too much paranoia over "Subjectivity." Whether an app that provides a particular function or not is not subjective at all. Either the app does or it doesn't. People are conflating "questions that have more than one answer" with "subjective question."*
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: I agree with username_2 but I'd like to add a criteria in determining the quality of such questions:
**Can the question be answered by a simple search of the Market?**
If it can, then the asker shouldn't ask it they should use that energy to search the market. An example of this could be...
>
> **Is there an app that lets me use my LED flash as a flashlight?**
>
>
> I need an app that will turn my phone
> into a flashlight.
>
>
>
This should never be asked. Simple searching "LED flashlight" brings up numerous apps that do exactly that.
Here's an example of a what I consider an acceptable app recommendation question:
>
> **GPS app that will track my movements and record route, distance, time &
> elevation?**
>
>
> Is there an app that will track and
> record my bike tours and accurately
> record the route, distance &
> elevation, and the time I was at each
> point of the route? I also need to
> be able to view these recorded tours
> on my computer afterwards so I need a
> PC component or a way to export the data into a
> format that's compatible with some 3rd
> party GPS tour software like
> MyTourBook. I've tried MyTracks and
> GPS Tracker however neither of them
> seem to accurately measure my
> elevation or the time that I was at
> certain points along my route.
>
>
>
You could search for GPS apps in the market but it would be difficult to parse out which apps effectively meet the complex set of criteria above. While this is a fairly specific request, it's not obscure. I can see a lot of applications for an app that meets said criteria so I think it's likely that others have searched for this and will in the future.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: To be on the safe side, such questions can be posted here instead:
Software Recommendations
<https://softwarerecs.stackexchange.com/>
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: I just saw a question a few minutes ago that was asking about if there was anything he could do to temporarily be unblocked by a person on WhatsApp, but it was closed by an admin because it was too subjective.. I think that if someone was looking for an app reveiw,, he should read the app description first, then the reviews instead of bothering us with their laziness.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_6: Things change.
At the time this question was asked, well-defined requests for recommendations were acceptable here. That is no longer the case.
Sometimes the Asker will argue that they're not asking for a recommendation, but rather just if such an app exists. It amounts to the same thing. "Help me find an app that meets my specific requirements" is a request for a personalized search service. And, even if we were willing to do that, the universe of apps changes all of the time. The purpose of Stack Exchange is to provide answers to questions that will help many more people than just the Asker.
So questions of this type should be closed.
Upvotes: 2 |
2010/09/14 | 158 | 656 | <issue_start>username_0: Are questions like the following appropriate?
"I'm using application X, can you tell me how to do Y with app X?"<issue_comment>username_1: I would say yes. Certainly for built-in and Google applications. For more obscure application maybe not, but those are less likely to get answers anyways
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I think they're appropriate. In fact, I think they're far more relevant to the mission of the site than the mass of `What's the best [X] app?` questions.
These are real questions with objective answers that are specific to the Android platform, so yes, please ask them.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer] |
2010/09/14 | 248 | 970 | <issue_start>username_0: [This answer](https://android.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/1/are-what-apps-should-i-get-questions-appropriate/29#29) here on meta points out a number of questions asking for a list of apps or "your favorite *X* app" which should probably be closed due to their subjective/unanswerable nature.
When I vote to close a question like these, which reason is the right one to use: "Not a question", "Subjective", or "Off-topic"?<issue_comment>username_1: I would say yes. Certainly for built-in and Google applications. For more obscure application maybe not, but those are less likely to get answers anyways
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I think they're appropriate. In fact, I think they're far more relevant to the mission of the site than the mass of `What's the best [X] app?` questions.
These are real questions with objective answers that are specific to the Android platform, so yes, please ask them.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer] |
2010/09/15 | 263 | 1,054 | <issue_start>username_0: How are other beta sites dealing with duplicate tags?
For example, [applications](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/applications) (most popular) vs. [apps](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/apps) vs. [android-app](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/android-app). These bring up three different sets of questions that are all about apps.
(BTW android-app is redundant and should be removed regardless since the site only covers android apps to begin with...)<issue_comment>username_1: I totally thought the same thing about the 'android-app' tag being redundant.
We should choose which one is the "authoritative" tag and edit all the questions to use that one. I vote we use "applications".
(Is there a way to blacklist tags?)
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: I just converted all `apps` and `android-app` tags to the `applications` tag.
I also created synonyms, [please vote](https://android.stackexchange.com/tags/applications/synonyms) :)
Upvotes: 1 [selected_answer] |
2010/09/15 | 206 | 799 | <issue_start>username_0: <https://android.stackexchange.com/badges/16/beta>
Or is there another party I don't know about? :P<issue_comment>username_1: [beta] : **Actively** participated in the private beta.
If I recall correctly from the Web Applications stackexchange beta, these are awarded just a bit after the site goes public beta, once you have actively participated.
This site has been running nye on 3 days. It's far, *far* to early for the beta badge to be awarded.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: And now they're awarding the beta badge, after what seems like a very short private beta, at least I was notified that I had been awarded it as I logged in this morning. Presumably this means that the Private Beta is over and we're into Public Beta now.
Upvotes: 1 |
2010/09/16 | 310 | 1,190 | <issue_start>username_0: Not that non-market or self-hosted apps should be an issue -- but what about "Warez"-type hosting of cracked paid apps, or of apps that have been removed from the market?
case in point -- the ShapeWriter keyboard .apk was pulled from distribution after a company re-org (buy-out). It's hosted in a few places on the web.
Should we, or should we not, tolerate links to such an .apk?<issue_comment>username_1: I say no to warez/cracks.
Marketplace/Market Place aggregator links are A-OK. e.g. AppBrain, Marketplace proper.
Alternate Marketplaces are OK, as long as they aren't warez sites disguised as such
Google Code links are A-OK
Links to applications that are free, where otherwise they'd be paid for, not ok.
Links to applications retracted from the marketplace, not ok.
I think the same rules apply as those rules for program hosting.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: As soon as you link to warez/cracks of commercial apps you make it likely that this board becomes NSFW to filters. That means close that question/comment immediately. This is a q/a about android, true; but it also needs to be on par with Stack Exchange as a standard.
Upvotes: 2 |
2010/09/17 | 272 | 1,124 | <issue_start>username_0: Now that the Android questions from gadgets.StackExchange have been merged in, we've got a lot of duplicated questions that pre-date the start of beta.
Answers can be different, or come from the same people.
If one of us asked a question or gave an answer in gadgets.SE, that shows up on our profile here, but we don't get any credit for it [how would you give credit to a non-beta member, anyway?]
BUT, if we close questions from AE in favor of pre-existing gadgets questions -- what would happen to rep?<issue_comment>username_1: As far as rep goes, StackExchange sites periodically get global recalculations, so I'm sure the rep for imported questions will be doled out accordingly when the next one happens here.
I'm not sure what to do with dupes, especially when both have an accepted answer. So far I've just let them be (sometimes adding a cross-link in the comments), since both were the "first" to ask the question on their respective sites.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: The questions should be merged, this will solve any rep problems when a global recalc is done
Upvotes: 1 |
2010/09/18 | 1,172 | 3,849 | <issue_start>username_0: How should we handle tags for the various versions of Android? For Android 2.2, we have have three different tags. [Android-2.2](https://android.stackexchange.com/tags/android-2.2/info), [Froyo](https://android.stackexchange.com/tags/froyo/info), and [2.2](https://android.stackexchange.com/tags/2.2/info). Android-2.2 is by far the most popular, next followed up by Froyo. Should we try and merge these tags to be something like Android-2.2-Froyo or 2.2-Froyo?<issue_comment>username_1: I say use the name of the build: Donut, Eclair, Froyo... Merge them all into this.
The number isn't bad but it may be confused with other app version names, or other relevant numbers.
Using "Android-2.2" is pure redundant silliness. Why should we have to specify that we are talking about "Android" on the "Android Enthusiasts" StackExchange?
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: I like "Android-2.2-Froyo". "Android" because there may be tags related to specific app versions; both "2.2" and "Froyo" because not everyone knows the code names (ref at least one question already asked on that topic).
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: I would say `[Android-2.2]` or `[2.2]`. I have no idea what most of the code names refer to, and the phones specs I see online only give the version number, not the code name.
I use a phone with android 1.5 - I know it is 1.5, I don't know what variety of food I would refer to it by. And you could tell me in the comments, but I think most new-ish users would have no idea.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: This is a dedicated android site.
Any tag that would NOT have "android" in it is on the wrong site.
Any tag that explicitly has "android" in it is redundant.
As an Android site, the un-qualified version# of Android is a legitimate tag.
As an Android site, the un-qualified version# of a random application is not a legitimate tag (and would only be so on a site dedicated to that application).
[2.2] or [Froyo] s/b fine.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: Pulling this out of comments so it can receive proper votes, if it's the way to go: [version-codename]
`2.1-Eclair`
`2.2-Froyo`
This avoids the overly-verbose "android" in the tag, and it makes the tag findable with the auto-complete if you start typing either the version number or the codename.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_6: My two cents:
The dessert names of the versions is fun and all, but most of your normal users aren't going to have a clue as to what it means. Further, it doesn't appear on the phone, while the version number does.
So, at best, our dessert names should only be synonyms.
I wonder if the naked `[2.2]` isn't a bit *too* esoteric. But, then `[android 2.2]` and `[version 2.2]` are redundant if clearer. (The former also has the added benefit that if there were a merger in the future, or Android forked into multiple product paths, no global renames would be required. That's probably not something we should be worrying about, though.)
So, I say `[]`, with `[]` and `[android-]` as synonyms.
***Update***: The community isn't playing along.
`android-2.2` x 50
`2.2-froyo` x 24
`froyo` x 6
`2.2` x 1
`1.5-cupcake` x 3
`android-1.5` x 2
`android-2.1` x 34
`2.1-eclair` x 8
`2.5-gingerbread` x 1 (which is just plain wrong; everything I've seen indicates Gingerbread will be 3.0, except for [this](http://www.droid-life.com/2010/10/22/gingerbread-will-actually-be-android-2-3/), which implies that Gingerbread might be 2.3)
I still stand by my suggestion of raw version numbers (e.g., `2.2`) as best, with tags in the style of `android-2.2` as second best. Not everyone knows about the dessert names, and if Google stops naming their versions that way it's not going to make any sense. Tags based on the official names is more future-proof.
Upvotes: 3 |
2010/09/18 | 840 | 3,261 | <issue_start>username_0: I have been reading a lot of "answers" that are merely someone's opinion or lazy guess. If someone asks a specific question and you don't know the answer with authority then don't answer. If you find yourself writing "I think..." or "Your best bet probably is..." or "I haven't tried this app so I don't know but..." then please promptly hold the backspace button down for a few seconds then click on the "x" in the upper right hand corner of your screen.
I don't necessarily think that someone has to have actually done something or used some solution before they can suggest it, but there is a line between giving a well reasoned suggestion and regurgitating what you read in the app market. I'm not sure where that line is, but I think it needs to be there.
I see this as more damaging to the site then the "Subjective" questions.
Am I way off based on this? Should we be more diligent about providing substantive answers? Should I just stop complaining and downvote an answer if it's an empty guess?
Disclaimer: I realize that I have probably answered several questions like this. Ooops.<issue_comment>username_1: I would expect that those sorts of answers would be less helpful and, as such, not get voted as highly. I think the natural mechanisms of the system will take care of it.
That said, if it's really not an answer to the question, or at least an attempt at answering, it should be converted to a comment. Flag it for a Moderator's attention.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I agree with Al's point. Of course the natural mechanism of the system takes care of such bad/strange answers.
However, in some cases, it can be hard giving a very specific answer, thus resorting to using
>
> "I think..." or "Your best bet probably is..." or "I haven't tried this app so I don't know but..."
>
>
>
"I think" at this point, "your best bet probably is" that not everything that works on my phone will work for someone else's phone. Android is Android, yet there are so many caveats, that make giving **certain** answers sometimes hard to do in different situations. Until one has had the opportunity to use over the 10,000 different types of devices that exist today, I doubt anyone can give 100% certain answers on *everything*.
For instance, in answering [this question](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/137352/adb-does-not-detect-my-device-while-in-recovery-mode/137508#137508), I used the expression, "could", pointing out that, I'm not certain. Although TWRP saved my life some time ago on my Z2, does not *necessarily* mean it will work for this OP.
I wasn't certain it will work, not because I don't know what I was saying, but because what works for me is different from what will work for someone else.
Of course, outright nonsense answers need to be flagged, yet, the idea of suggestions aren't all bad, as what works for me won't work for my friend next door, always!
TL;DR
Not knowing an answer to a question is different from not being certain *something'll work* for the OP. Thus, I don't think the use of ...
>
> "I think..." or "Your best bet probably is..." or "I haven't tried this app so I don't know but..."
>
>
>
... is entirely a bad thing.
Upvotes: 2 |
2010/09/19 | 791 | 2,741 | <issue_start>username_0: I just used QR codes to link to apps in the market.
What's your opinion on using them for linking apps? I think they are widely used, and there are many barcode readers for Android which can handle them, and it is better than searching the market for an app by yourself. So is it ok to use them to link apps?<issue_comment>username_1: QR codes are great. Just make sure to also make the images a link to what the QR code is pointing to (for people who are browsing this site on their phones).
There is also [an ASCII QR code generator](http://asciiqr.com/), but not sure how well they'd work here.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Yes, I find QR links very useful, especially when there are no many barcode scanners around.
However, There should be a standard for these "Here is an App that will help" posts, just so we aren't A) leaching images, B) not shutting out users who want to see the app without having to go to the market place.
Below, I've listed the way I've been linking apps to answers, including how not to leach images (IMPORTANT) because we don't want to get in trouble, now do we?
---
For QR images, I've been using the following method:
1) Find the app on (marketplace e.g. AppBrain) you want to share
2) Find the QR Code button, and locate the QR code.
3) Copy the URL of the QR code
The URL is
`http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?cht=qr&chs=150x150&chl=market://search%3Fq%3Dpname:com.appspot.swisscodemonkeys.appsBlockquote`
Which is basically
`http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?cht=qr&chs=150x150&chl=LINKHERE`
If you use the Image upload tool on the post answer, you can use the image URL to reupload the image to imgur.com
That way, you get the right QR code, generated from a reliable source, and you don't steal bandwidth.
4) MAKE SURE YOU HREF LINK TO APPBRAIN AT THE SAME TIME
So annoying when you get a QR link, and no web reference to what it is
(I'm not sure what other services use, I use AppBrain for a lot of my stuff, but if you know the marketplace URL, just go from step 3 and hardcode the charts.api link yourself)
(Freehand circles)
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: Any thought about actually including a QR code generator in the Android SE text editor itself?
That way, we can
1. be sure we're not leeching
2. enforce that the QR code is also linked to the URL itself
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: Now that we have [Android Web Market](https://market.android.com/), do we still need QR?
PS: should this be a separate question?
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/09/20 | 206 | 816 | <issue_start>username_0: I propose that until we're out of beta we eliminate or reduce the requirements to edit tag wikis. Right now nobody even has 1000 rep. Perhaps to get some action there, we can make the requirement something like having asked or answered a question with the tag and have been up-voted once in order to edit tag wikis.<issue_comment>username_1: There ~~are now several people~~ is one lonely guy with 1000+ reputation. (Didn't we get temporary mods?) This is probably no longer necessary.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_1: In a recent change, now virtually anyone can suggest changes to tag wikis.
As with edits to posts, users with insufficient reputation for the full privilege will have their edits reviewed by mods and 10K users.
So get out there and edit those tag wikis!
Upvotes: 2 |
2010/09/22 | 392 | 1,577 | <issue_start>username_0: So what's the deal [ForceClose.com](http://www.forceclose.com/)? *(that should be read with a Seinfeld impression)*
But seriously, it appears to be the same thing as android.stackexchange.com. What's there relation? Was it built before they stopped offering custom stackexchange implementations? Does SE own it or is it completely unrelated to the SE network? Is it going to be merged with A.SE or are the two sites rivals? Is A.SE and ForceClose going to have a Q&A showdown at high noon to determine the top Android Answer site? WTF!?<issue_comment>username_1: ForceClose was an independently-owned Stack Exchange site from when we offered subscription services. They did not wish to join with android.SE. Once their site expires, they will no longer operate using the Stack Exchange software. I do not know what their plans are for the future.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I'm the administrator of Force Close. Robert did offer for us to join the StackExchange 2.0 network, but I declined because I want to keep ownership of the site. I plan to move to OSQA or some other clone when our subscription expires, and I am going to continue promoting the site.
Summary: Q&A showdown at high noon.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: See also ForceClose's equivalent of this question from a little while ago: [What is the relationship between ForceClose.com and the Area51 Android proposal?](http://www.forceclose.com/questions/2491/what-is-the-relationship-between-forceclose-com-and-the-area51-android-proposal)
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/09/28 | 475 | 1,866 | <issue_start>username_0: Even when I zoom in all the way on the Android.stackexchange.com site, I still can't click on the "Favorite" star. My tap, no matter how accurate, hits the Downvote or the Facebook icon. Anyone else have this problem?
Btw, I wan't sure where to post this, meta or not. Techincally it's a problem I'm having on my Android phone, so appropriate for android.SE but, it's also an issue I'm having with the site so its meta material. Very tough choice.
**UPDATE:** At Gary's suggestion I addressed this issue at the meta.stackoverflow site as it appears to be affecting all the sites running the "Beta" template. If you are experiencing this issue or have a solution please refer to the question here: <https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/66217/i-cant-add-a-favorite-in-the-stackexchange-beta-site-templates-from-the-androi><issue_comment>username_1: ForceClose was an independently-owned Stack Exchange site from when we offered subscription services. They did not wish to join with android.SE. Once their site expires, they will no longer operate using the Stack Exchange software. I do not know what their plans are for the future.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I'm the administrator of Force Close. Robert did offer for us to join the StackExchange 2.0 network, but I declined because I want to keep ownership of the site. I plan to move to OSQA or some other clone when our subscription expires, and I am going to continue promoting the site.
Summary: Q&A showdown at high noon.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: See also ForceClose's equivalent of this question from a little while ago: [What is the relationship between ForceClose.com and the Area51 Android proposal?](http://www.forceclose.com/questions/2491/what-is-the-relationship-between-forceclose-com-and-the-area51-android-proposal)
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/09/28 | 278 | 980 | <issue_start>username_0: Don't know which should win; they both have three questions.
* [alarm](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/alarm "show questions tagged 'alarm'")
* [alarms](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/alarms "show questions tagged 'alarms'")
I lean toward the singular.<issue_comment>username_1: Moved alarms to alarm. Vote on synonym here: <https://android.stackexchange.com/tags/alarm/synonyms>
Upvotes: 1 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Isn't the rule of thumb that tags should be plural? Wikipedia uses [that method](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Categorization):
```
Set categories are named after a class (usually in the plural).
```
Eg, if we're talking about "New York City" the tag is not "city" but "cities" -- because the tag would be applied to "Paris", "Chicago" etc.
Just so for "apps" "alarms" "keyboards" etc.
I may have followed this rule inconsistently, myself. *Mea Culpa.*
Upvotes: 1 |
2010/09/30 | 306 | 1,003 | <issue_start>username_0: Hi guys,
**This is not a question**
I made a small google widget for displaying your flair on iGoogle or another google service.
You can check it out @ <http://www.google.fr/ig/adde?moduleurl=http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3505759/gmodules/android.xml&source=imag>
Have a nice day, and let me know if you it to evolve.<issue_comment>username_1: Moved alarms to alarm. Vote on synonym here: <https://android.stackexchange.com/tags/alarm/synonyms>
Upvotes: 1 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Isn't the rule of thumb that tags should be plural? Wikipedia uses [that method](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Categorization):
```
Set categories are named after a class (usually in the plural).
```
Eg, if we're talking about "New York City" the tag is not "city" but "cities" -- because the tag would be applied to "Paris", "Chicago" etc.
Just so for "apps" "alarms" "keyboards" etc.
I may have followed this rule inconsistently, myself. *Mea Culpa.*
Upvotes: 1 |
2010/09/30 | 1,254 | 4,283 | <issue_start>username_0: Electronic Gadget got [shut down for several reasons](http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2010/09/pruning-season/), partly due to lousy stats
How're WE doin'?
================
As of Sept 30, 2010:
```
* 585 questions
* 1,187 answers
* 79% answered
* 557 users
* 997 views/day
```
As of October 9:
My observations:
================
1. Our number of questions is excellent
2. Our question:answer ratio needs some improvement
3. Our user-count needs improvement, but Gadgets represented two months (plus?) of public beta; we're at only three weeks, and users keep getting added. So no worries.
4. Our views/day is dropping? Does anybody have actual stats tracking, instead of these two, random snapshots?
Caveats:
========
1. Android-related questions/answers imported from failed Gadgets beta
2. Are these QUALITY questions?
3. Are these QUALITY answers?
4. At least we ain't [Programmers.SE](http://programmers.stackexchange.com) !!! (they've got great stats. Quantity over quality, I guess)
What can we do better?
======================
What do we need to do to help avoid the fate of Electronic Gadgets, and wake up one morning to find all of our content was ported over to Programmers in the middle of the night?
1. Meta participation -- this question excluded
2. Policing of questions/answers - editing, retagging, flagging - this IS happening, and election of moderators will only help moreso
3. Site promotion? Click those "share this" buttons, folks! Plus, the [twitter-feed](https://android.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/66/i-made-a-twitter-account-that-polls-the-rss-feed) that one enterprising individual set up
4. Steal underpants
5. ???
6. Profit!!!<issue_comment>username_1: We should email a some of the big Android Blogs an let them know about Android.SE, invite them to join and share their expertise and encourage them to share it as a resource to their readers. I was going to just do it but maybe we should discuss a game plan.
These are the android sites I frequent:
* <http://androidandme.com/>
* <http://www.androidcentral.com/>
* <http://www.xda-developers.com/>
* <http://androinica.com/>
* <http://www.androidguys.com/>
* <http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/>
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: We might also find great benefit in sharing this with Motorola, Samsung, HTC, etc. on-line communities and forums. I think it would be a great opportunity if we started sharing answers, links, etc. at these places! The idea would be to attract users without harming what they have going on already.
* [HTC's Community](https://secure.htc.com/us/community/)
* Samsung has a "Join the Conversation" on its [homepage](http://www.samsung.com/us/)
* Motorola [Support Forums](https://supportforums.motorola.com/index.jspa)
What's the best way of doing this? Any other suggestions?
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: Is it possible to buy sponsorship/ads on Android podcasts or websites? Does StackExchange give the communities any sort of money to do such a thing?
[This meta.SE questions seems relevant](https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/1579/using-paid-ads-to-create-community/1582#1582).
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_1: Another thought: I alway link to Appbrain for apps and I'm not going to stop doing that but if you find a solution on another website like Lifehacker, putting a link to the article would be a good idea. If those sites start getting referrals from android.SE and/or see the back links they may take notice quicker.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: One way to help us reach the [suggested goals](http://area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/18238/android-enthusiasts) is to [keep on **voting.**](https://android.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/180/what-does-voting-mean-and-why-is-it-important)
We've each got 30 votes per day -- let's use them!
Okay, I've never cracked my vote-cap on Android, and only done it once on SO itself -- it's sooooo much easier when there are a ton of questions. Which also suggests... aks more questions....
Upvotes: 2 |
2010/10/03 | 416 | 1,600 | <issue_start>username_0: I did a search on the words "htc sense" and only one article came up. I started entering a question with the words HTC and sense in the title and several article were suggested with both words in the title. Is there a problem with search?<issue_comment>username_1: hmm, looks like the search doesn't pick up on the htc-sense tags, or the htc OR sense tags. This would be a question for Jeff, you may want to cross post it to meta.stackoverflow.com
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Definitely something funny with search, I see no results searching for "google earth"
<https://android.stackexchange.com/search?q=google+earth>
Even though there's a question with those words in that order in the title, a tag called google-earth, and I can remember seeing another couple of questions lately that reference Google Earth in the main question text.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: It appears that the default search treats terms as tags. "htc" would only find the htc tag. "sense" would only find the sense tag. htc-sense would be required to find htc-sense tag.
```
intitle:2 htc sense
```
Would be required to search for titles with "htc" and "sense".
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: As I noted in a comment, we do auto-convert search terms that match popular tags, into tags, if they are in the top (n) tags on a site.
This doesn't work so well for small sites though!
I added another sanity check so that we only do this auto-mapping when the # of questions in the tag is 200 or more.
So, this shouldn't be happening now.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer] |
2010/10/06 | 524 | 1,989 | <issue_start>username_0: Are "wifi-tethering" and "wifi-hotspot" redundant?
Are there *other* forms of tethering or hotspots available for Android?
Example question<issue_comment>username_1: Well, you *can* tether via USB or bluetooth. But with separate [wifi] (or [usb] or [bluetooth]) and [tether] tags, that should get the point across
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: I would argue that these are all distinct things.
I agree and disagree with Bryan's answer that "wifi-tether" can be dealt with by using separate tags [wifi] and [tether] which will work in a tag search but I disagree becuase it wouldn't work as a click tag (which is how I usually use them, clicking on a tag to get a list of the relevant posts). I think that since wifi-tether is a distinctly different thing than usb-tether and bluetooth-tether that it deserves it's own tag.
Also, wifi-hotspot is a distinctly different thing than tethering. All wifi-hotspots allow wifi-tether(ing) but not all wifi-tether(ing) constitutes a wifi-hotspot. Running your phone as a wifi-hotspot is a specific function that turns it into a wireless router allowing you to connect several devices through it.
I think there should be separate tags for:
* **tether** (for general topics regarding connecting your laptop to the internet via your phone. It would encompass all the following tags...)
* **wifi-tether** (referring to connecting your laptop to the intenet via your phone, connecting to the phone through wifi)
* **bluetooth-tether** (referring to connecting your laptop to the intenet via your phone, connecting to the phone through bluethooth)
* **usb-tether** (referring to connecting your laptop to the intenet via your phone, connecting to the phone through usb)
* **wifi-hotspot** (referring to using your phone as a wireless access point for other devices. Possible synonyms: wifi-access-point, wifi-ap)
Upvotes: 2 |
2010/10/08 | 935 | 3,272 | <issue_start>username_0: *We closed the [domain naming thread (click for details)](https://android.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/5/what-should-our-domain-be).*
Instead, **let's start with a killer "elevator pitch!"** Joel will be blogging about the elevator pitch approach to naming, but to get you started:
The Elevator Pitch
------------------
This isn't as easy as it sounds. Imagine the user who will never read your FAQ and you have two seconds to grab their attention. It should be catchy but descriptive. It should be thoroughly clear but painfully concise. **Make every... word... count.**
Here are some creative examples:
* [Gawker](http://gawker.com/): Daily Manhattan media news and gossip. Reporting live from the center of the universe.
* [Gizmodo](http://gizmodo.com/): The gadget guide. So much in love with shiny new toys, it’s unnatural.
* [Autoblog](http://www.autoblog.com/): We obsessively cover the auto industry.
* [DumbLittleMan](http://www.dumblittleman.com/): So what do we do here? Well, it’s simple. 15 to 20 times per week we provide tips that will save you money, increase your productivity, or simply keep you sane.
* [Needcoffee.com](http://www.needcoffee.com/): We are the Internet equivalent of a triple espresso with whipped cream. Mmmm…whipped cream.
Use it as a Tagline
-------------------
A shorter elevator pitch *can* be used as a tagline — something you can display in the header at the top of the page. If it doesn't fit, consider shortening it or creating a separate tagline. Here are some great examples:
* [Slashdot](http://slashdot.org/): News for nerds. Stuff that matters.
* [Lifehacker](http://www.lifehacker.com/): Don’t live to geek, geek to live!
* [The Simple Dollar](http://www.thesimpledollar.com/): Financial talk for the rest of us.
The Motto (don't forget your logo)
----------------------------------
A logo begs for it own little, short tagline — like a motto. Maybe the tagline inspires the logo; Maybe it's the other way around. Mottos make good t-shirt, bumper stickers, and other marketing material. Either way, you'll recognize a good motto when you see it:
* Just do it.
* Think Different.
* The Uncola.
* Intel inside.
* Like a rock.
* The king of beers.
…and perhaps all this leads to a proper name and domain for your site… *eventually*. So let's start from the basics. **Come up with a killer elevator pitch, tagline, and/or motto!**<issue_comment>username_1: *Community-smart answers for your Android superpowers*
WAS: *Community-smart answers for the bundle of powers in your Android*
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Android Answers
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Tagline:
These *are* the answers you're looking for.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: "Answers for your Android-centric mind."
What do you think?
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_5: Al E.'s great idea just needs a little setting up for those that would miss the reference. Something like:
**"Android Questions? These are the Answers you are looking for."**
(No comments under 50 rep is a PITA! Sorry for the additional answer)
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: Elevator pitch:
Answers to your Android questions, from people who are as passionate about the Android platform as you.
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/10/11 | 261 | 1,026 | <issue_start>username_0: I would like to read the answers to the Android - Stack Exchange site while on the read (in a bus or something).
Is there, or will there be, a mobile version of this site ? One which makes it easier to read on a smaller screen ?<issue_comment>username_1: There actually is: [StackMobile.com](http://stackmobile.com/).
More information about this site can be found on its [StackApps page](https://stackapps.com/questions/36/stackmobile-com-view-stackexchange-sites-on-your-smartphone).
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Since circa 2011 all of the Stack Exchange sites have mobile-optimized versions.
If you're stuck in the desktop version you can force yourself into the mobile version by clicking the "mobile" link at the bottom of the page.
Conversely, if you find yourself in the mobile version and want to force your browser back to the desktop version, click the "full site" link at the bottom of the page.
The site should be able to work it out from your user-agent, though.
Upvotes: 2 |
2010/10/27 | 830 | 2,718 | <issue_start>username_0: Example: <https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/2434/selecting-the-right-android-phone>
Is this really the kind of question we want to encourage here? I mean, is "I need a phone with these features" helpful to anyone but the OP? There are new phones coming out all of the time, so even if it's helpful it will be quite a bit outdated within months, if not weeks.
Isn't this site about using the device you have, rather than finding a device to buy?
**Update**: Note this blog post about putting the kibosh on shopping questions on Super User: <http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2010/11/qa-is-hard-lets-go-shopping/>
Since Android is arguably "Super User for Android", should we be more draconian about squashing these? I think sometimes it's hard to recognize a shopping recommendation for apps here because so many apps are free.<issue_comment>username_1: It's pretty safe to say that **shopping recommendations are off topic** on virtually *any* Stack Exchange site (unless someone builds an *explicit* "shopping recommendation" site, of course).
It's even listed as *off-topic* in your original charter… twice:
>
> [Where is the best/cheapest place to buy a HTC Desire?](http://area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/18238/android-enthusiasts/18274#18274)
>
> great on-topic example: 0
>
> great off-topic example: 21
>
>
> [With which provider should I buy my HTC Desire, to have the best price?](http://area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/18238/android-enthusiasts/18275#18275)
>
> great on-topic example: 0
>
> great off-topic example: 20
>
>
>
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I would say that if the person does not ask about the shopping but about the hardware, then it is off-topic because of recommendations. If there was a question like
>
> I need a phone that matches the specified criteria
>
>
>
then I would say that it could have luck on [Hardware Recommendation](http://hardwarerecs.stackexchange.com). As long as it is not a question discussing price.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: I too think it is pretty much **off-topic**.
>
> Example 1:
>
>
> I am stuck between Phone A and Phone B. Which one should I buy?
>
>
>
We simply can't know the expectations and parameters of choice of any person.
>
> Example 2:
>
>
> I am stuck between Phone A and Phone B. Which one is
> better?
>
>
>
Since utility of a good is not quantifiable, the answers are going to be pretty much subjective and opinion-based.
>
> Example 3:
>
>
> I want a phone with following specs: blablabla
>
>
> Can you guys suggest any?
>
>
>
There are websites that find phones with the desired specs already.
Upvotes: 2 |
2010/11/01 | 354 | 1,372 | <issue_start>username_0: Hey guys,
I know when we recommend apps we usually link them to AppBrain. The issue here is the minor inconsistency with the links. I like to link the app and also insert the QR code.
AppBrain have a nice simple app widget as seen below which has all the app information plus a link to the QR code.
Is there a possibility to implement BBCode to allow users to copy and paste the BBCode app widget?<issue_comment>username_1: While that's pretty cool, AppBrain is not the only market out there, and it is a for-profit venture. I think it's fine for users to link to wherever they want, I don't think the site itself should be seen as giving any site preferential treatment. If we add markup for AppBrain to the editor, we'd have to add markup for all other sites, as well.
Not unless there's some form of kickback for the moderators, that is! I'd like a Nexus One and a 32GB SD card, please.
At any rate, I don't think that we can customize an individual SE site at that level.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: What would be better, IMHO, would be something added to the `Insert Hyperlink` box that would generate a QR Code in addition to, or instead of, the regular URL. QR Codes can be generated to represent any text, so it would be a natural fit (again, IMHO).
Upvotes: 1 |
2010/11/06 | 803 | 2,946 | <issue_start>username_0: The Gingerbread SDK is rumored to get released on November 11. Shortly thereafter I expect there will be a flood of questions "when will {phone X} get Android 2.3?" We're still getting questions like that for Froyo.
My idea is to have one Community Wiki question: "When will my phone get Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)?" that will contain as many models and dates as we can find. Many of us read a lot of Android blogs; whenever a new date is announced (even if it's a rumor) we can edit the question to have that information, with links to sources. (Alternatively, we could have answers for each phone model, but I think that would get unwieldy.) That way, we can then close every other question about an individual phone and point it to the CW question.
And, of course, being Community Wiki will allow more people to be able to edit it.
Thoughts?
Update: It would probably be worthwhile to have a Froyo question too. There are still devices out there waiting for that upgrade.<issue_comment>username_1: Yes, excellent idea. It's great way to curb the redundant questions and it's a good sticky post that will likely get some link backs from other sites.
Also, I agree, the answers should be updated in the question. It will get very unwieldy having a separate answer for each phone.
**Maybe something like this:**
***Title:***
When will my phone get Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)?
***Body:***
Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) was released on November 11th, 2010. This community wiki will list all of the known and rumored dates for devices. If you have an update make sure to follow the format that's been established, and the following guidelines:
1. Keep phones in alphabetical order listing the Manufacturer and model
2. Specify if the date is confirmed or rumored and link to the source
3. If there is an unofficial release, link to the site where it can be downloaded.
If you don't have enough rep to edit the wiki, leave your suggestion in a comment or answer and someone will update the list.
Phones
------
---
**HTC G1**
* OTA: Never ([confirmed](http://htc.com))
* Unofficial: ?
**Motorola Droid**
* OTA: Never [(rumored)](http://www.mobiclue.com/android-3-0-gingerbread-features-supported-phones.html)
* Unofficial: ?
**Motorola Droid X**
* OTA: 2/30/11 ([confirmed](http://motorola.com))
* Unofficial: download available at [XDA forums now](http://forum.xda-developers.com/)
Tablets
-------
---
Enter Tablets Here...
Ohter Devices
-------------
---
Enter other devices here...
Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: How about the question part is purely a "question" (i.e. what is the release dates for all phones?) and the answer is all phones combined in one post. this way we can accept an answer, and the question will be removed from unanswered list.
And more importantly it makes more sense because the website is supposed to be a Question and Answer website :)
Upvotes: 2 |
2010/11/08 | 757 | 2,992 | <issue_start>username_0: With all the tablets coming out and all the manufacturers trying to "improve" Android with their own custom UIs, I think it would be useful to document what UIs are running on devices, how intrusive they are and links to any other options. I haven't seen this anywhere and this could be a useful resource to the community, and pre-empt a lot of questions.
I recently bought a Viewsonic G-table which claims to be running Android 2.2 but when I got it I discovered that their TapNTapUI was so intrusive and clunky that you'd never know it was running Android at all, or that it had a Tegra2 processor. If I didn't know better I would have thought it was an old Oregon Scientific PIM with a really big and pretty screen. I'm returning it and have ordered an Archos 70, however it took a long time to research exactly what "improvements" (perversions) Archos has made to the UI and how deeply ingrained they are (supposedly, they are only minor changes that you wouldn't notice).
This may be a little ambitious in scope and beyond the focus of this platform but I can definitely see a bunch of granular questions like...
* "Is the Archos 70 running a proprietary UI?"
* "How do I remove the TapNTapUI on the G-Tablet?"
* "What tablets are loaded with Vanilla Android?"
... and the benefit to rolling them all into a wiki would be creating link bait and keyword rich posts that would help bring people in.
Thoughts?<issue_comment>username_1: Sounds like a good idea. My ancient (migrated across from the Gadgets.SE site) question [Android phones without custom UIs](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/644/android-phones-without-custom-uis) could be used to get some starter info in there.
Probably worth doing as two separate Wikis? One listing devices and UIs and then a second one with the Pros/Cons/Features of all the different UIs.
Would we want separate Tablets and Phones Wikis? Will it even be easy to draw the dividing line between phones and tablets in the future as new devices arrive that blur the lines between them?
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: I have two concerns.
One, "intrusive" is very subjective. What's intrusive for you may not be a big deal for someone else.
Second, and more important, is that I think it's *too* ambitious and doesn't fit in with this site. The number of tablets is going to grow exponentially and, unless someone is really dedicated, your proposed wiki will never be able to keep up. Once it gets out of date by more than a couple months, it will have lost most of its utility. Plus it has the potential to get really huge.
This is the sort of thing that Wikipedia does well. Let them.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_Android_devices>
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: I see no problem with your first two example questions being just regular questions. They seem to fit within the scope. On the last, I agree a list like that is probably better relegated to Wikipedia.
Upvotes: 1 |
2010/11/18 | 802 | 3,114 | <issue_start>username_0: I am trying to be a productive member of this website and I'm having a problem with the reputation system.
Now I don't have a problem with the reputation system as a whole, I find that it works well. I am familiar with it as I am also a member at StackOverflow.
My problem is this: Twice now I've wanted to comment on an answer or vote it up because it didn't seem to be getting the votes or recognition that it needed. But, since I didn't have enough reputation I have no real choice but to leave another answer with a nod to the previous answer. Both times I was voted down, leaving me that much further from being able to vote up or leave comments.
Here are the two questions and answers:
[How can I locate my Android device around the house?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/2603/an-app-to-locate-my-android-around-the-house/2633#2633)
<https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/2935/best-screen-protector-htc-desire-z/2942#2942>
In the second one I was very explicit in my answer about why I was posting an answer, but I was still down-voted.
So, what am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to help the community find the right answers when I can't steer them towards them? I post as much as I feel is necessary and no more. I'm not going to go around posting in every question I find just to get lucky and get an up-vote. That's not helpful to the community.
In Al Everett's [post about voting](https://android.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/180/what-does-voting-mean-and-why-is-it-important), he lists reasons to vote down an answer. It does not say anything about a duplicate answers.
So, what to do besides posting the odd answer and hope that it is up-voted?
It is really discouraging me from trying to participate.
My thoughts: Perhaps any answer should give the poster one or two reputation points in order to encourage participation. Otherwise, I don't quite see the point.<issue_comment>username_1: Don't post an answer that should be a comment. "Me too" answers will (eventually) get deleted and, as you've noticed, the community doesn't like them (hence the downvotes).
To gain reputation: Ask good questions; make good answers.
You're not the only one who is occasionally frustrated with the rep limits for activities on the beta sites. I've seen several such questions on <http://meta.stackoverflow.com>
On the plus side, you'll get those reputation points back when your downvoted answer is deleted.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I can see your frustration and I don't necessarily agree with many of the arguments that are made in support of the current commenting threshold limit. That being said, I also don't see a compelling reason to change it because the rep level to be able to leave comments is very low at 50 (which you now have from the looks of it). All this requires is one or all of your answers getting 5 votes. Or 10 votes on your questions. Or any number of combinations... the point is that even if it's a problem, it should only be a problem for a short time for any productive member of the community.
Upvotes: 2 |
2010/11/23 | 597 | 2,340 | <issue_start>username_0: For example: <https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/3060/android-lte-phones-available-in-the-pipeline>
(Not picking on the questioner. I've seen several such questions; this is just the most recent.)
I just wonder if this is the type of question we want here. It's basically asking us to parse the news for the asker.
It just doesn't "feel" quite right to me. (Maybe I should go see what the [Apple](http://apple.stackexchange.com) people are doing.)<issue_comment>username_1: >
> It's basically asking us to parse the news for the asker.
>
>
>
As opposed to any other question that is asking us to parse [google|internet|personal experience] ?
But speculative questions have no one right answer until the *future* is **past**. In that sense, they may be *worse* than community wiki.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I'm pretty open to what I consider useful subjective questions, but this doesn't query the communities Android expertise or any information about using or getting the most out of and Android device, it is just question for newsers and android blog enthusiasts. I think this is off topic.
Asking, "Will my XXX phone be able to use Verizon's LTE network" is a good question.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Here's a suggestion to answer Al's question about what we should do about it...
If the question is salvageable then leave a comment directing the asker on how to improve/edit the question to fit within the scope of the site. If they don't do it, then we should fix it if possible.
If it's un-salvageable then close/delete/migrate it.
In this case I think without the asker changing it to a more specific question it's un-salvageable.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Ok, here's another take that is contrary to my two previous answers and more consistent with Michaels point:
This is a community of Android Experts and Enthusiasts. Searching google for answers to question like the one you posted can be very confusing and fruitless because of all the speculation. This community of users is uniquely qualified to filter through a lot of that speculation and provide a more coherent answer to a noob. In many cases a lot of us have already done that by religiously reading the Android news sites, blogs and forums to satisfy our own interests.
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/11/28 | 327 | 1,063 | <issue_start>username_0: As seen in [this answer](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/45/is-there-a-good-app-for-monitoring-the-amount-of-data-traffic/129#129), the link:
>
>
> ```
> market://search?q=pname:com.trafficstats
>
> ```
>
>
...has been turned into:
>
>
> ```
> http://market//search?q=pname%3acom.trafficstats
>
> ```
>
><issue_comment>username_1: We don't support any form of link except `http://` and `https://`and `ftp://`
edit: this has been enabled as a site-specific renderer for android.se. You will have to re-save any affected posts, however -- but all new posts will behave as expected.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Now that the Market has launched as a website explicitly available to both phones and PCs, where the <http://market.android.com/>.... link will take you to the webpage on a PC, or straight into the relevant page in the Market app on a phone, this probably isn't necessary any more.
See also [QR Code generator](https://android.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/310/qr-code-generator)
Upvotes: 2 |
2010/11/30 | 1,142 | 4,681 | <issue_start>username_0: Clearly questions like...
>
> "How do I register the
> someThingTechincal() intent within the
> framework by daisy chaining the
> java.tree before I compile the MySQL
> class..."
>
>
>
...are off topic and better suited for SO, but there is going to be some overlap between Development questions and questions about dev tools that are relevant to power users.
For example: Questions about the Android Emulator, or the [Android File System](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/3002/where-in-the-file-system-are-applications-installed/).
**How do we want to handle these?**
Personally, I am not a developer and do not plan to develop any apps but I am looking into installing the emulator and I am interested in hacking the hell out of my phone in the interest of making it do exactly what I want. **Do we want to keep these hacking/power user questions here even if they tread into development area or do we want to ship em off to SO?**
**If we do choose to keep a big tent and keep them here how do we articulate the difference in the FAQs so that it's clear where the line is?**<issue_comment>username_1: Personally I'm inclined to keep a big tent attitude and keep a lot of those questions here for 2 major reasons:
1. I want to keep developers around because they are some of the best suited to answer questions on android.SE (as long as they are clear that this isn't the place for programming questions).
2. Even if a borderline question could be answered over at SO, as a laymen, I think that the SO community can assume that you have a certain baseline knowledge and provide technically complicated answers, whereas I think those questions are likely to be answered in a more appropriate style here.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: This [emulator question](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/3244/how-can-i-manually-add-memory-to-the-android-emulator) seems to be a unique use case. He isn't really asking a programming question, but a hardware question (emulated via software) for a user's purpose (new to Android and wanting to try it out before he buys into it). I don't think this is much different then telling a physical-phone user that they need a bigger SD card.
I would even say this ["Tips and Tricks"](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/4053752/android-emulator-tips-and-tricks) question(for the most part) would even belong better here than SO.
[This however would be a good example of a developer specific question of an emulator question.](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/2793956/android-emulator-wont-run-application-started-from-eclipse) More likely than not, emulator questions will be developer questions.
I would also consider questions about attaching DDMS (developer logging utility) to a phone (or installing/using aLog) somewhat relevant, because a user may need to do this to get error logs of an app to provide us more info (or to a developer). There may be other similar "tools" that would fall under this.
Sometimes high-end power users might actually have to get their hands dirty and actually tweak some things that you might even consider programming related. Rooting/custom roms falls under this area. If I think the question is too advanced (beyond what I know), I often point people to [xda-developers](http://forum.xda-developers.com/) because they much more experts on rooting and roms than I could ever be. I'm fully open for these questions being asked here, it's just I don't know if we have the people here that can answer all of these types of questions. I might consider myself an expert with rooting and using a custom rom on my Motorola Droid or G1, but if someone asked me about [X] or [Y] phone, then I myself would go to xda-forums to see if I can find an answer for them and try to break it down for them here.
(As a side note: providing answers here that xda-forums would provide is much easier to parse/read than a 60 page thread on xda-forums on some new hack a developer came out with for [X] phone because of all the noise and "discussion." I was reading about the NookColor being rooted today and that thread had some interesting gems in it hidden by a LOT of noise).
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: It's worth considering the type of answer that one will expect to receive.
On a development forum like SO, one will likely receive a very technical response.
On a *softer* (is that the right word to use) forum one will likely receive a less hard-core techie response.
Thus, there is merit in having this cross over and even an argument for identical questions on both forums as they'll be asking them in different contexts.
Upvotes: -1 |
2010/12/03 | 231 | 1,029 | <issue_start>username_0: Sometimes a question may (intentionally or unintentionally) be answerable in two parts, and sometimes said question may indeed be answered correctly by two different users, each answering a different part. How do we deal with this issue without seeming to prefer one answerer over the other?<issue_comment>username_1: The *Accepted Answer* is the post that *best* helped resolve your question. The best course of action is to accept *one* of the answers by whatever criteria you choose, then leave a polite, thankful comment in the other answer explaining that you also used their information and had considered accepting it. Don't forget to up-vote, too. They'll appreciate the affirmation.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: If their answer are not complete, you can also create your own complete answer and accept it. You won't get any rep from it nor will your answer get bumped to the top as a normal accepter answer would be, so I really don't think this is cheating
Upvotes: 1 |
2010/12/07 | 510 | 1,839 | <issue_start>username_0: according to [Area51](http://area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/18238/android-enthusiasts), we have 2,700+ visits/day, which is more than the expected 1,500. The description says
>
> 1,500 visits per day is good, 500
> visits per day is worrying. A great
> site benefits people outside the
> community. *Eventually, 90% of a
> site's traffic should come from
> search engines.*
>
>
>
Does anyone know/have access to where the incoming traffic are coming from? If yes, where are they coming from?<issue_comment>username_1: The search engine answer seems the most likely. I know that when I've done a quick Google on answers for some of the slightly obscure questions here, the question itself often shows up in the top 5 Google results.
Also, have a look at the questions with the most views, like the [Galaxy S GPS problems](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/2462/does-froyo-fix-samsung-galaxy-s-i9000s-gps-problem) one. These have thousands of views, and lots of replies from users with just one rep point, that smacks of people who've just found the page through a search engine when they're trying to find the solution to a problem they're having, but aren't sticking around and using the rest of the site.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: The analytics of the site are available only to a select few.
I can tell you that the vast majority of traffic comes from Google. Not a surprise, I know.
Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: Ever since Nov 8, we've been skyrocketing upwards. We're seeing really good growth. I mentioned the same observation about this stackexchange in the mod chatroom. We've doubled and nearly tripled our page views.
75% of our traffic is via search engines. After that, most of it is coming from other stackexchange sites.
Upvotes: 2 |
2010/12/07 | 600 | 2,232 | <issue_start>username_0: I noticed something interesting today. This is the most trafficked post on Android.SE and it's less than a month old:
[Android 2.2 update for samsung Galaxy 3 (I5801 and I5800) (closed)](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/2770/android-2-2-update-for-samsung-galaxy-3-i5801-and-i5800-closed)
Just off hand I'd say that it's because Samsung Galaxy Update Android 2.2 are popular search terms. It's a little ironic that the post with the most views is closed but I think it serves as a reminder that when we can we can be more mindful of keywords and SEO when asking/editing questions.<issue_comment>username_1: Here was an interesting little experiment:
[Is there a Word Lens alternative/port for Android?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/3799/word-lens-alternative-port-for-android)
I knew that "Word Lens" was a hot topic yesterday, and that question it turned out to be the most viewed post yesterday. In fact it's gotten 219 views in the last 20 hrs where as the next most recent post to get 200 views was asked on the 8th, taking a week and a half to get to 282 views. Of the most popular search terms that brought people here over the last day "word lens android" got 90 and the next most popular was Samsung i5500 2.2 with 6 visits.
Now as far as questions, this wasn't the best one on the site, and it probably wasn't very useful to building membership because people probably came here found that there is no such app and left.
The value of the experiment is that it goes to show how being mindful of whats trending and making good titles with good keywords is helpful in getting people here. Now ideally if we are to seed questions based on hot topics they'd actually be useful (Like Al's "When will my phone get Android 2.x?" questions) so when they get here they find some value and stay.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: My [flickr account](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/3920/why-is-android-claiming-i-have-multiple-flickr-accounts-and-not-allowing-me-to-u) question was on the site for less than 15 minutes before it became google #1 search result for "android multiple flickr account".
Previous searches had returned nothing useful.
Upvotes: 2 |
2010/12/11 | 441 | 1,783 | <issue_start>username_0: A search in the Market for "Stackoverflow" brings up a couple of widgets and question browsing apps, including at least one (Droidstack) where you can add Android-Enthusiasts and browse and search questions, etc, but it's buried fairly deep in the app.
Given the Android Market provides direct access to the exact audience we are looking for, surely a dedicated app would be a good idea? Marketed in the right way (i.e. as a Q&A app for the phone in your hand, rather than talking about stack exchange generally) it could be quite popular and presumably generate a fair amount of traffic.
This seems a bit obvious, so apologies if it has already been explored and I've missed it. If not, then what could we do to make it happen?<issue_comment>username_1: For one, we are still in Beta (we don't even have a permanent site design yet!). And for two, it takes some effort to write and maintain such program, and since DroidStack is still very unstable (it crashes all the time in my phone), it would be too early to fork DroidStack's development to support specific sites.
It's a good idea though, I'd think there would be many Android users that don't need/want the full stack exchange network. Maybe sometime after we graduated and we had a permanent site design, someone can start hacking on [DroidStack's code](http://code.google.com/p/droidstack/) with a matching design and settings.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: To answer part of your question:
>
> … so apologies if it has already been explored and I've missed it. If not, then what could we do to make it happen?
>
>
>
Here is a great resource to explore and ask questions about application and developing for the Stack Exchange sites: [Stack Apps](http://stackapps.com)
Upvotes: 2 |
2010/12/16 | 1,098 | 4,511 | <issue_start>username_0: There is a [Google proposal](http://area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/25726/google) in Area 51. It was proposed on December 11th so it's still quite new. It's scope is currently defined as:
>
> Google web apps, desktop software, and
> Android and Chrome OS
>
>
>
One of the comments on the proposal page suggested that the creator should attempt to appeal to this site in order to expand this sites focus, rather than create a new semi-related site.
Would it make sense to expand the focus of this site? Does the scope quoted above (or parts of it) seem like it could be incorporated into Android Enthusiasts?<issue_comment>username_1: A **large** percentage of the questions on [WebApps](http://webapps.stackexchange.com) are for Google products. The proposed site would cannibalize that.
Google doesn't have too many desktop apps (Earth, Picasa, SketchUp) and, considering their Chrome focus they aren't likely to get many more. So SuperUser wouldn't lose too much.
You could also expect an infestation of frustrated website owners trying to make a buck to just pepper the site with questions about their page rank.
*On the other hand...*
It's sometimes difficult to get the right site. Questions on Gmail, for instance, sometimes are as on-topic on WebApps as they are here. A "Google" site would help with that.
There is an Apple.SE in beta which covers the same sort of scope. A Google.SE would analogous and probably about the same size. Android seems like it's barely large enough to support its own StackExchange site.
Google coughed up money to sponsor several tags on StackOverflow (notably Chrome and Android). They even point developers visiting <http://developers.android.com> to StackOverflow. I think it's likely that a Google Q&A site would attract a lot of attention from them. Maybe even some real Googlers.
*Ultimately* though...
The proposal has been closed.
Would it make sense to transition Android.SE to, say, a site covering Google OSes? Maybe. Moreso if the rumored merger of ChromeOS and Android were every to come to pass.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I would say that an entire Google SE would have some of the same problems as the Gadgets SE had.
Currently Android is a pretty well defined scope that does seem to have a wide breadth of questions but they have the advantage that despite the breadth, there is a massive overlap and familiarity across it all. I think that every regular question answerer on here has at least a passing familiarity with the topics covered in 95% of questions here; we may not all have installed a custom ROM on our phone, or own an LG device, or be interested in apps about [X], or use a bluetooth headset, or whatever but you know enough to recognize a clear question or helpful answer in any of those. There are common threads across it all.
A site about "Google" is going to have a lot of different silos of knowledge. There are going to be Gmail users, who've never even seen an Android device and Chrome browser users who've never even heard of Chrome OS, Froogle users who wouldn't know a Reader RSS feed if it slapped them in the face, and Google Apps company admins who just want to keep their company's email running. Will this attract enough real experts in all of those areas?
That's quite apart from the fact that the site will have a big overlap with other Stack Exchange sites, like [Webapps](https://webapps.stackexchange.com/) (for all of Google's web properties), [SuperUser](https://superuser.com/) (for all the desktop apps and presumably ChromeOS when it launches), [ServerFault](https://serverfault.com/) (for things like the Google search device), [StackOverflow](http://stackoverflow.com) (for programming against all these platforms) and of course us. Can it attract enough experts to it when they'll also need to look at two (or more) sites relevant to a particular interest. Currently Android makes sense, as it doesn't actually overlap with any of the other sites: Web Apps are quite clearly different from smartphone apps, smartphone questions are unwelcome on SuperUser and programming questions are unwelcome here.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: It like creating a site devoted to ALL MICROSOFT PRODUCTS.
People will be asking questions about the intricacies of configuring Exchange Server, F#.NET libraries, and the best ways of using Bob.
1. scope is too broad
2. everything in that scope is already covered by existing site
Upvotes: 1 |
2010/12/22 | 397 | 1,596 | <issue_start>username_0: It would have helped MY peace of mind to know that Asking my first question, + waiting 20 minutes would be enough to get me the rep so that I can start Upvoting questions and answers!<issue_comment>username_1: Want to get the ability to upvote? Ask a question. then wait 20 minutes.
Then you'll be a "full member" !
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: If you have an account with +200 reputation anywhere in the [Stack Exchange network](http://stackexchange.com/sites), you will **start on all new sites with +100 rep for a total of 101**.
Beyond that, we encourage the truly *new* users to contribute a bit and give the community the opportunity to get to know them and vote on their posts .. before we give them voting permissions.
As for meta, it's tricky. I would like to allow new users to participate here but it's almost impossible to do so without risk, because metas are very low traffic and a malicious new user could cause a lot of damage by posting junk. Thus the 5 rep requirement to keep the bar as low as possible -- at toe level at least.
There is also the argument that participating on meta is a (very minor) privilege that you should earn by at least participating on the main site for a little while, so you have a basic level of familiarity with our sites and how they work. We get a significant number of brand new users who come into meta.so (which allows 1 rep participation) and start explaining how we're *all* doing it wrong, our *entire system* is broken, the sky is falling, etc etc. All the old timers just roll their eyes..
Upvotes: 3 |
2010/12/26 | 417 | 1,634 | <issue_start>username_0: There are a number of questions that have been migrated over from the old Gadgets.SE as well as other sites that are attached to users that aren't registered here. Some of them are quite old. Is there any way to accept answers on these unowned questions so we don't have a bunch of "Unanswered" questions in the system?
**Update:** I was thinking specifically about questions that have good answers that will never be accepted because the asker is a ghost.<issue_comment>username_1: maybe you can ask the meta.SO about this.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Only if the person who originally posted it comes back and asks for the question to be linked to their new account. (I did that.)
But Louis has a good suggestion. I don't know what the thinking is for questions that are not likely to be ever answered and certainly never have an answer accepted. I suppose we could discuss getting rid of them on a case-by-case basis.
Of course, you could always upvote an answer; then it won't appear in the "Unanswered" list.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: If they're old, and unanswered, and not pulling in any traffic, then perhaps they should be deleted.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: By the by, this **is not** going to be implemented. See:
[Allow mod accept for deleted users](https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/60212/allow-mod-accept-for-deleted-users/)
[Moderators accepting answers on user's behalf after a certain time period](https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/18312/moderators-accepting-answers-on-users-behalf-after-a-certain-time-period)
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer] |
2010/12/28 | 347 | 1,473 | <issue_start>username_0: I recently posted this question:
[How to share internet among 2 android devices?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/4117/how-to-share-internet-among-2-android-devices)
And through the miracle of Android Enthusiasts, came up with the answers needed. However, the question started as, essentially "connect 2 android devices" but the answers wound up depending on the specific devices (for example, the config file for the tablet may very well be tablet-specific; I know that other android devices require additional edits to config that the tablet did not). Should I edit the question to reflect more exactly the answers, something like "How To Connect my Archos Gentouch 78 tablet to my G1's internet connection" or leave it in its more general format?<issue_comment>username_1: Your title is fine. The text of the question gets to the heart of the matter and the specific advice may well apply to other devices. Being too specific would likely keep people from visiting the question. I think you struck a good balance.
On the other hand, titles like "I need help!" are absolutely horrendous.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I say edit the title to suit the answers (esp the accepted one).
It helps the user with the same specific problem as you, it prevents people from being disappointed when reading the title and found that the solutions does not apply to his problem.
I think it's also better search-engine wise.
Upvotes: 0 |
2010/12/28 | 441 | 1,592 | <issue_start>username_0: I am an Android enthusiast who owns an Archos 43 Internet Tablet, which doesn't include any 3G/4G or phone capability out of the box.
I want to learn more about Android, but some of the questions on this site seem to be very phone-centric, such as [When will Google Nexus S be available in Belgium (Europe)](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/4149/when-will-google-nexus-s-be-available-in-belgium-europe), [Can I get Nexus S in Canada?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/4068/can-i-get-nexus-s-in-canada), [What are the best android phones available in India?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/867/what-are-the-best-android-phones-available-in-india)
I'm just wondering if there is a way to filter this stuff out if it really does belong here. I'm interested in the OS, not someone's phone buying decisions.<issue_comment>username_1: I agree with you. I have been closing the most egregious examples, but the rest of the community doesn't seem to mind them so much. Otherwise there'd be flags on them and/or close votes.
No, I don't think they belong here. Unfortunately, they're a large percentage of the questions we get.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I believe this is a shopping question and should not be allowed.
<http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2010/11/qa-is-hard-lets-go-shopping/>
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: I think you should allow the question if is Android centric.
For example, I often have discussions with people like: what is the latest version of android available on a stock phone...
Upvotes: -1 |
2010/12/29 | 402 | 1,491 | <issue_start>username_0: I'd like to reword the Android.SE FAQ a bit to clarify what kind questions should be asked and what kind of questions should NOT be asked. I'd like to follow [Superuser's FAQs](https://superuser.com/faq) format. I'll start a [separate post](https://android.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/247/faq-what-kind-of-questions-should-i-not-ask-here/249#249) for the "Should Nots". I think this one is pretty simple and already explained pretty well but I figured the phrasing is still worth discussing.<issue_comment>username_1: All questions on how to USE the Android OS / an Android device.
Some completely made up example titles:
* How can I stop certain apps from starting automatically? Should I?
* How can I export my contacts to a CSV file?
* How can I get my Calendar app to start the week on a Monday?
* How can I send a single SMS message to multiple recipients?
* How do I root my Android device? Why would I want to?
I guess the key here is if you *can't* phrase it as "How can/do I do X on my device (in this app)?" it's suspect.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_1: It may also be helpful to enumerate what type of devices are on-topic.
* Android phones (obviously)
* Android tablets (new and upcoming)
What about e-book readers? The B&N Nook is based on Android. (None of the others currently on the market is Android.)
Google TV is built on Android. I'm actually surprised we haven't gotten any questions about it already. Is it allowed?
Upvotes: 3 |
2010/12/29 | 543 | 1,983 | <issue_start>username_0: I'd like to reword the Android.SE FAQ a bit to clarify what kind questions should be asked and what kind of questions should NOT be asked. I'd like to follow [Superuser's FAQs](https://superuser.com/faq) format. This thread is for discussion on how we should articulate what questions are inappropriate.
I think one suggestion per answer is a good way to proceed:<issue_comment>username_1: **Questions about Android Development**
This one's already there, and it should stay.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_1: **Shopping Recommendations or Advice**
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: **Phone availability** or such speculation on when a phone might be released (it's usually rumors anyways). [Example](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/4149/when-will-google-nexus-s-be-available-in-belgium-europe-closed). However, I'm fine with Android availability such as this [question on Froyo](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/2696/when-will-my-phone-get-the-android-2-2-update-froyo).
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: **Duplicate Questions**
Searching will save you time and rep!
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: Some good answers here already. I'll contribute by offering generic question titles that don't belong:
* When will {device} be available in {geographic area}?
* Where can I find a website that tells me {some information about Android devices/apps}?
* Is there an app that does {some desired function}?
* Is {OS version} available for {my device}?
* Which is better: {device X} or {device Y}?
* Why does {company} do {whatever the company has done to annoy the asker}?
That's what I have for a start.
Related to [my answer on the other question](https://android.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/246/faq-what-kind-of-questions-should-i-ask-here/252#252), maybe it's simply "if you can't phrase it as a 'How' question, it probably doesn't belong". "When" and "Why", I'd say, are especially problematic.
Upvotes: 3 |
2011/01/04 | 1,671 | 6,484 | <issue_start>username_0: I've found several question which is tagged with the phone model of the poster, but the tag does not help describe or classify the question.
Example [1](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/4284/change-image-size-before-sharing-an-image-via-email) [2](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/4345/how-can-i-prevent-google-talk-from-disconnecting). In those question the tags serve no other purpose than to inform the reader of the user's phone model (in case it matters). This is in contrast to [this question](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/4319/why-samsung-kies-not-detecting-my-galaxy-s-gt-i9000) where the phone model is a relevant sorting/classification criteria for the question.
I think this falls under the definition of [meta-tags](http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2010/08/the-death-of-meta-tags/) which have been discouraged and removed from SO and the other main sites. To quote an argument used there (see [this](https://cooking.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/434/please-zap-the-meta-tags-and-dependent-tags)):
>
> There’s been a major uptick recently in tags that are not useful
> and just add noise. I want to stress
> that these are usually added in good
> faith, and I am not questioning
> anybody’s motivation – I know that
> they all mean well. But this
> particular category of tags is one
> that has been historically referred to
> as meta-tags on MSO, and these tags
> cause a lot of problems.
>
>
> The reason meta-tags are a problem is that they do not describe the
> content of the question. They describe
> some other aspect of the question,
> like the author’s skill level, or the
> author’s motivation for asking it, or
> generally what “kind” of question it
> is (poll, how-to, etc.).
>
>
> Meta-tags are actually a subset of a larger problem that I usually call
> dependent tags. These are tags that
> don’t say anything by themselves – you
> can’t tell what the question is about
> unless they’re paired with some other
> tag (or several of them). These tags
> are a problem because people don’t
> realize this and will often use that
> as the question’s only tag.
>
>
>
Another one:
>
> The point of tags on Stack Overflow is
> to help other interested persons find
> your question by sorting it into
> clear, specific categories. This is
> not the same as indexing or
> summarizing the question. The
> differences are subtle, but important.
>
>
><issue_comment>username_1: I have been removing the tags when the model of the phone obviously has no impact on the issue. (Same with Android OS.)
It's not always so clear, though.
I think, however, that this is probably more analogous to OS tags on **Super User** than to what is done on Stack Overflow. Using a `Windows 7` tag automatically discourages any Macintosh solutions.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I'd group OS versions in as being the same sort of potentially meta info as phone models.
I'd argue that with the number of times when the phone's model or OS version is important, but not mentioned anywhere the tags are useful, even when just pointers to the fact that the phone has a particular custom UI, or capabilities.
If the question is in anyway hardware related, then they're essential. If it's to do with UI or built-in apps then, again they're useful (the Contacts app on a Sense UI phone is different from a TouchWiz phone, and from a pure Android phone in many ways).
They may be meta-information but the information is useful enough in enough cases that without it I think we'd need to encourage use of more general meta tags (eg HTC-phone, or Dell-tablet, or HTC-Sense or Samsung-TouchWiz) but in many cases the questioner, if not an Android expert may not know that they have Sense, but will likely know that they have a Desire.
Do people really ignore all htc-desire tagged posts just because they have a Sony Xperia phone?
If we started getting people tagging posts with beginner-question, or expert-question then that's a different matter. Rather than forcing someone who may not know exactly what the problem is to decide what info is or isn't relevant, I think we should be encouraging question askers to give as much info as they can, and tags are one way to provide that.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: I think OS version tags *can* meaningfully describe the content -- but I only support adding them when the poster (or an editor) thinks they are **relevant to that particular question.**
I'd definitely discourage any policy, implicit or explicit, of mindlessly tagging all posts with an OS version. They do this on <http://ask.ubuntu.com> and it has been kind of a bad idea in practice.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: I definitely see now why it makes sense not to do this kind of tagging -- clicking the tag will show you all the questions where the user **has** Device X, when you really want to see all the questions **about** Device X.
That said, many questions need device and OS info, and the tags are a convenient place to put it, for consistency reasons. The information is always in the same place and clearly distinct from the question, so the potential answerer doesn't have to search the question for it (or remember it all as they read the question).
I think the optimal solution would be to have separate fields for device and OS version that the asker could fill in if it's relevant. The info could be shown in a separate box or something at the end of the question. I'm not sure how much work this would be for the SE people or if it's desirable to modify this site / some sites this way, since it's clearly not applicable across the board. Perhaps instead the FAQ could show a standard template that people should insert at the end of their question, something like:
* **Device:** [sub\_model]
* **OS Version:** <#.#-version\_name>
* [**ROM:** ]
* [**Custom UI:** ]
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_5: It is often not possible for the asker to determine if the question is phone specific. The same goes for person who answers a question. I think any policy discouraging phone model tags will just fail. Even if we collect the information within an extra field, it's just not practicable.
I think *the only way* to handle version/model tags is to see them as "I have this question with this device/version (and I am not sure if it is device/version specific or not)". Anything else won't work.
Upvotes: 1 |
2011/01/07 | 572 | 2,106 | <issue_start>username_0: This site is great, and I like helping people, but keeping a laser-like focus means we have to turn people away.
Do you think it would be worthwhile to have a Community Wiki question with answers pointing to a variety of other resources? Here are the types of things I can think of off the top of my head:
* Developer resources
* Official sites
* Blogs
* Comparison sites
* Forums
What do you think?
Update: Considering [Jeff's Answer](https://android.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/269/other-android-resources/271#271), let's come up with a few resources that can fill these niches. Shopping comparison sites will be especially useful.
---
See: [Where can I ask questions that aren't Android Enthusiast questions?](https://android.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/371/where-can-i-ask-questions-that-arent-android-enthusiast-questions/)<issue_comment>username_1: I think we should. We may not want to expand to Android dev questions and the like, but it would certainly be within the scope of the site to help Android Enthusiasts find resources when they want to get enthusiastic about modding/dev/etc.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Seems like a good idea, and reminds me of...
<https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/8401/where-can-i-ask-questions-that-arent-stack-overflow-questions>
Which starts with
>
> Thank you for your confidence in our abilities! But have you read the Stack Overflow FAQ?
>
>
> We get a lot of IT/network/computer/technical questions on here, but Stack Overflow is meant to be first and foremost a programmer's resource.
>
>
> Yes, someone here might be able to help you, but you'll find that other forums more focused on your topic can give you a much better answer than a bunch of programmers. It's likely that your question will be downvoted, closed, and in some cases marked "offensive." It's not that we hate you, it's just that we're programmers and we like to keep our corn pops separate from our cocoa puffs.
>
>
>
I can see an android-flavored version of that getting plenty of traction.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer] |
2011/01/09 | 2,078 | 6,903 | <issue_start>username_0: There are various questions of the form "How to root [device name]?":
* [How do I root the Android emulator?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/4067/how-do-i-root-android-emulator)
* [How do I root my HTC Hero?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/456/how-do-i-root-my-htc-hero)
* <https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/3/how-do-i-root-my-htc-hero> (closed)
* [Rooting HTC Hero GSM 2.1-update-1 (3.41.61.31)](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/3790/rooting-htc-hero-gsm-2-1-update-1-3-41-61-31)
* [How to get root access on Android 2.2 with HTC Magic?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/2827/how-to-get-root-access-on-android-2-2-with-htc-magic)
* <https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/3256/easiest-way-to-root-my-htc-legend-on-bell-network>
* [How can I root my device?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/1009/how-can-i-root-my-motorola-droid)
* <https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/2613/what-is-the-easiest-way-to-to-root-a-droid-x-2-2>
* [How to root a Samsung Spica](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/30/how-to-root-a-samsung-spica)
* [How to root the Samsung Galaxy 5](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/3143/samsung-galaxy-5-five-custom-rom)
* [How do I root my Chinavasion TechPad 7" Tablet android tablet?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/2164/how-do-i-root-my-techpad-7-tablet-android-tablet)
* [How to 'root' (or gain root access to) a Sony Ericsson Xperia X8 with Android 2.1-update1?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/4789/how-to-root-or-gain-root-access-to-a-sony-ericsson-xperia-x8-with-android-2-1)
* [How do I root Cruz Tablet?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/4534/how-do-i-root-cruz-tablet)
* [What is involved in installing Android onto a device?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/2575/what-is-involved-in-installing-android-onto-a-device)
And some variants with special restrictions/requirements:
* [How to root HTC Desire (Froyo 2.2) without putting in a custom ROM (flashing)?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/3728/how-to-root-htc-desire-froyo-2-2-without-putting-a-custom-rom-flashing)
* [How can I root my Droid X with Ubuntu Linux?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/2311/how-can-i-root-my-droid-x-with-ubuntu-linux)
<NAME> also created an [index of rooting how-tos on the internet](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/1184/how-do-i-root-my-phone).
What do you think is the best way to consolidate these? One question per device or a single question for everything?
UPDATE:
Here are a few specific open questions:
* What do you think is the best format?
+ One huge question and one answer for every device (simple to maintain, but too many methods to list on one page)
+ One large "index" question that links to a question for each device, with one huge answer for all methods for the single device (I think this strikes the best balance between maintainability and being too crowded)
+ One large "index" question that links to a question for each device, with one answer for each method (my personal preference, though it may be difficult to maintain, as there will be hundreds of answer nodes)
+ One large "index" question that links to a question for each method and each method is preambled with the devices that is supported with the method (might be a little hard to navigate, but easiest to maintain as answers don't need to be duplicated if an exact same method works on multiple devices, e.g. One click root)
+ other ideas?
* Where to put the questions?
+ I personally prefer the "index" question to be on Bryan Denny's page, but it is also possible to create a new Q.
* What to if there is already a good resource outside A.SE? Should we quote/summarizes the most important part here or simply linking is good enough?<issue_comment>username_1: Ah, this might be a good opportunity for the canonical question!
See
<http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2011/01/the-wikipedia-of-long-tail-programming-questions/>
>
> **Help us build a great library of canonical answers.**
>
>
> If you keep seeing the same form of questions, whether it’s mod\_rewrite rules on Server Fault, freezing computers on Super User, or how to use regular expressions to parse HTML, **write a great, canonical answer, once and for all**. Make it community wiki so that as many other people as possible can make it great. Work really hard on writing something that is clear, concise, and understandable by as wide an audience as possible.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I don't think a canonical question will work, unfortunately, since rooting techniques vary wildly across devices (unless I am misunderstanding what a canonical question is). I think a Community Wiki question work quite well though, with an entry for each device. Something like:
**Device X**
* 2.1-eclair
+ Method 1
1. Do this
2. Do that.
+ Method 2
1. Do this.
* 2.2-froyo
1. Do this
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: It looks like <NAME>'s [How do I root my phone?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/1184/how-do-i-root-my-phone) would be a perfect place to consolidate this, and a great resource to point all the rooting question-askers at.
If he's happy for his answer to be Community Wiki'd, then it could be treated as a shared resource to put all the info in, the same way that the "When is my phone getting [OS]" questions are pointed to the two "[When will my phone get the Android 2.2 update (FroYo)?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/2696/when-will-my-phone-get-the-android-2-2-update-froyo)" (and [Gingerbread](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/2695/when-will-my-phone-get-the-android-2-3-update-gingerbread)) questions started by <NAME>.
That way all of the normal "How Do I Root" questions can be closed and pointed to Bryan's question, and the more unusual edge-cases can be treated on a case-by-case basis to see if they'll stand as their own separate question (but probably still with a link back to the main rooting question),
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: I don't think we should consolidate. As username_2 pointed out "rooting techniques vary wildly across devices" and to add to that, they often change. What works today may not work tomorrow after an OTA. Also, there are new devices being released every month. Creating a community wiki one stop shop for questions like "When will my device get Froyo?" is fine because the answer for each device is 2 lines long. The answer to just one "How to I root my XXX?" can be very lengthy on it's own.
Two years from now when I'm looking for info on how to root my Kenmore Washer/Dryer Combo that's running Android 8.1 I don't want to have to sort through the instructions on how to root a G1 or the hundreds of other devices that aren't relevant to me.
Upvotes: 2 |
2011/01/11 | 551 | 2,111 | <issue_start>username_0: Per this question [What's the policy on linking to non-market apps?](https://android.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/43/whats-the-policy-on-linking-to-non-market-apps) I think we're all agreed that linking to an app on a warez-type alternative market-place is something we don't want to do.
How about when something like this question happens:
[Is appbucket a legal app store?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/1113/is-appbucket-a-legal-app-store/4577#4577) - Totally legitimate question from someone who's seen a deal that looks too good to be true, and wants to know if the site is legitimate or not.
However he's linking to the site in question in the question. this obviously makes it easier for question answerers to find the site and investigate it, so is ok in the initial question.
In this case where the community have decided that this site definitely looks shady and appears to be distributing cracked, warez versions of apps without reimbursing the authors, do we want to give that site the exposure and benefits of a link from us? Should we go back and edit the question to remove the link and just leave the site name?<issue_comment>username_1: Well, the link is using `rel="nofollow"`, so the site's not getting any googlejuice.
Just because there's a link to a site does not mean that Stack Exchange or the members of the Android Enthusiasts site endorse it, and I don't think anyone would think that.
Also, anyone who doesn't follow safe browsing is not going to be protected by us. Without a link it would be academic to find the site via other means.
If the link went somewhere other than what it purported to (*goatse* anyone?) then it might be a problem. As is I don't think it is a problem.
I'm interested in other opinions, however.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Well, **if you have evidence that the community feels strongly about it** (was it flagged? downvoted? comments questioning it?) -- then you could edit the page to turn it into a code block and not a link, eg:
<http://example.com>
versus
`http://example.com`
Upvotes: 2 |
2011/01/11 | 318 | 1,251 | <issue_start>username_0: In [this question](https://android.stackexchange.com/q/4132/86), for example, the asker gives two answers in the body of his question in "Update:" edits, but hasn't posted either as an answer so will this question now always show as being unanswered?
In [this one](https://android.stackexchange.com/q/4391/86) the answer is posted in a comment against another answer.
How do/should we handle this kind of thing? I always feel like reposting the answer as an Answer, but never have as that seems so uncool!<issue_comment>username_1: I'd ask the person with the answer to post it as an answer. If they don't, I would say feel free to post it yourself; users shouldn't have to hunt through the comments to see if the answer's there instead. Make it community wiki if you feel uncomfortable with receiving rep for the answer.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: "Answers" posted in comments are fair game to be reposted as real answers.
You can attribute the answer to the commenter, but there's no defensible reason to *not* post an answer as an answer.. we have the opposite problem (comments as answers) all the time, but that's because commenting requires 50 rep, and answering requires none.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer] |
2011/01/18 | 338 | 1,381 | <issue_start>username_0: These two questions were asked back in android.SE's infancy:
1. [Can you recommend some alternative keyboards for Android?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/56/can-you-recommend-some-alternative-keyboards-for-android)
2. [What is the best alternative to the stock camera app?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/247/what-is-the-best-alternative-to-the-stock-camera-app-closed)
They were both flagged today as too subjective and I believe those flaggers were right. Considering how long they've been around and how much interaction they've gotten do you think they should be closed or made community wikis?
I actually already closed the second one, which was my question.<issue_comment>username_1: Probably some combination of both; the old historical questions on Stack Overflow (such as "favorite programming cartoon" etc) had the same issue.
In general **the ones that have genuinely useful and semi-timeless information** should be retained, but capped in rep and answers. Otherwise they grow infinitely, which is not useful..
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Closed.
Although I don't think we should spend our time hunting them down. If they bubble back to the front page because they were answered again or otherwise bumped and we spot them, then we should act on them. (Or, of course, if someone flags them.)
Upvotes: 0 |
2011/01/21 | 870 | 2,821 | <issue_start>username_0: So we seem to get questions every now and then from people who want to know about running Android on devices that originally came with some other OS (normally some flavour of WinMobile). Normally we aren't much more help to the asker than pointing them at some year-old thread on XDA, if we can even be that helpful.
Is there anything more we can do here, can we create a central "these non-Android phones can run Android" post, or is it not worth the effort?
There's also the occasional (how) can I install Android on my PC/laptop, should we also treat these the same?
Some example posts:
[Can I boot Android on the LG Arena KM 900?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/4997/boot-android-on-the-lg-arena-km-900)
<https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/2238/is-it-possible-to-install-android-on-samsung-omnia-pro-b7320>
[HTC Tilt 2 -- possible to get Android on it?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/768/htc-tilt-2-possible-to-get-android-on-it)
[Can I install Android on my HTC Touch HD?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/4797/can-i-install-android-on-my-htc-touch-hd)
[(how) can I install android on an iphone 4?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/847/how-can-i-install-android-on-an-iphone-4)
[Installing Android on iPhone 3G](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/664/installing-android-on-iphone-3g)
[Is it possible to get Android on a Nokia e65?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/2889/android-on-nokia-e65)
<https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/2332/android-for-nokia-5230>
[Is it possible to install Android on a PC?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/3521/is-it-possible-to-install-android-on-a-pc)
[Trying google mobile android on my pc](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/4034/trying-google-mobile-android-on-my-pc)
[Does Android 2.1+ support the ARM9 processor?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/4998/android-processor-compatibility-question)
Similar
[Android and other OS at the same time](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/4278/android-and-other-os-at-the-same-time)<issue_comment>username_1: I would say it's on topic-ish, since the goal of the asker is to use and enjoy Android.
Isn't that an implicit shared goal of everyone here?
As long as it's asked in good faith and is of reasonable quality, I would allow it.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I've made a generic question to cover this: [Can I install Android on my non-Android device?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/6849/can-i-install-android-on-my-non-android-device)
That way we can point people to that question and have a list of devices you can put Android on, rather than having tons of "No, drivers are hard etc." answers.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer] |
2011/02/03 | 540 | 1,881 | <issue_start>username_0: Hey guys,
Now that the [Android Market](https://market.android.com/) is out on the web it would be great to be able to generate a QR code right here in text box. This would allow us to stop using other websites like AppBrain for our app linking.
Does anyone know if the [WMD editor](http://wmd-editor.com/) used here can be modified to add a tool?<issue_comment>username_1: I don't think that's necessary. For one thing it's not a change that would be all that universal. What use would, say, English.SE have for QR codes?
Besides, the new web market puts QR codes right on the page. It's only a couple of clicks to get the URL for the image and add it to a message.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: We can now at least use direct links to Market apps that use a normal URL scheme and will work as links on both the phone and your PC.
No need to use a market://.... link, we can use <http://market.android.com/>....
Eg this link should take you to the app's Market page on a normal web browser, and if clicked from an Android browser should take you into the app's page in the Market app:
<http://market.android.com/details?id=com.rovio.angrybirds>
What's more the Android market web pages even have a QR code on them. Anyone know if there'd be a problem embedding the QRs from the Market server in here, they use the normal Ggoogle Charts API to create the QR, like this:
<http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?chs=100x100&chld=|0&cht=qr&chl=http%3A%2F%2Fmarket.android.com%2Fdetails%3Fid%3Dcom.rovio.angrybirds>
Which in an image link gives us:
Which should all be a lot more useful (and less confusing to the casual visitor) than sending someone to Appbrain, or the like.
Upvotes: 2 |
2011/02/05 | 400 | 1,531 | <issue_start>username_0: I can type into the search box, but I can't seem to get it to submit. When I click the Enter or OK buttons it just seems to change focus to another field.
Similarly, I can't figure out how to close the messaging bar at the top of the screen. I can't scroll far enough to the right to close it.
Not sure if it matters, but this is with a Motorola Flipside running 2.1.<issue_comment>username_1: I wouldn't even bother with the search function here. While they've recently improved it, Google (and even other web searches) are still far superior.
`site:android.stackexchange.com searchterm` in your Android/Google search field should find you what you need.
As for the other issues, this site isn't optimized for mobile browsers (seems like a no-brainer to me) so that there are "wonky" things with the interface doesn't surprise me, nor do I think they'll be a high priority. However, someone has created a mobile-optimized "proxy" for the Stack Exchange network, called Stack Mobile. You might try that and see if that works better for you.
<http://stackmobile.com/site.php?site=android.stackexchange>
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Sounds like you're seeing the same as we used to see on Galaxy S's when they were running 2.1, see this question on the main site:
[How to use the Search box on these Stack Exchange sites with the Galaxy S?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/1872/how-to-use-the-search-box-on-these-stack-exchange-sites-with-the-galaxy-s)
Upvotes: 2 |
2011/02/06 | 598 | 2,526 | <issue_start>username_0: There are lots of questions on the site along the lines of "Is there an app that will do...". I recently posted one myself at <https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/5713/are-there-any-coding-training-games-for-android>
Often the answer is no.
In much the same way that the Linux community posts bounties for particular pieces of development, should there be some way to register interest in (or a rep bonus on) an app for a specific purpose?
It may be that this is instead a good idea for a website...<issue_comment>username_1: What you really need is somewhere with something more like a discussion forum, than this Q&A site, also that place needs to already have an active community of developers hanging around and actively contributing.
I don't think that this sort of thing is relevant here, but it is certainly something that another website could (or perhaps already does) do. I think you'd have trouble getting a new site up and running to do this, as it will be very easy to attract people with ideas ()perhaps even demands) for new apps, but quite hard to attract the necessary experienced and motivated developers. You'd need a site that already has a big enough community of devs with spare time on their hands to bootstrap your idea.
Having said all that, there have been a couple of times lately when someone asked for an app that doesn't exist, and a member or two here have gone off and written one ([this one springs to mind](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/5320/is-there-an-app-that-will-list-my-phones-info-in-an-easily-copy-paste-able-forma)), but that is very rare simply because most people here are Android Users, rather than Android Developers. StackOverflow does have the developer community, but requests for new apps would definitely be off-topic there.
XDA is one place that could do this, but currently doesn't - I think they do allow requests for new custom ROMS and changes to existing ones, particularly for models that haven't got one yet, but as they don't specialize in app development they may not be willing to expand in that direction.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I agree, this isn't the place for it but it would be nice if there was another venue with the same format as SE. I absolutely despise traditional forums for all the extraneous bs that you have to wade through to find any useful info. Something like this would really need a voting platform like SE has to let the cream rise to the top.
Upvotes: 2 |
2011/02/06 | 830 | 3,349 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm wondering why this question got down-voted. I'm not completely opposed to down voting as a concept but I though it was a valid question.
[Where are the SIM Lock settings stored on an Android phone?](https://android.stackexchange.com/q/5709/2573)
Any thoughts on why the community would consider this a "bad" question?<issue_comment>username_1: I did not do the downvote, but I think that question is downvoted because the question is not an Android question and so is out-of-topic for this site. Also, even assuming that it is on-topic, the question does not provide enough details to provide any useful answer, such as who your carrier is and device you are using.
But, don't take the downvote too personally, people downvote for various reasons:
1. they deemed the question out of topic (e.g. carrier-specific, subjective)
2. they think the question is poorly phrased (e.g. does not have enough information to be usefully answered, or have powr speeling)
3. they deemed the question inappropriate (spams, etc)
4. they accidentally clicked the downvote and cannot change it since their vote is now locked (this is a problem with the system)
5. they just do not like the question, for whatever their own personal or political alignment (we do not like this, but there is nothing that can be done)
A single downvote does not mean the community is rejecting the question any more than a single vote means you're going to be the next president.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Unfortunately "drive-by downvotes" do happen. If there's only one down-vote, and no one's left any explanation, then I'd just re-read my question/answer make sure everything's as clear and accurate as I can make it, and then shrug it off and ignore the down-vote.
It's not a serious matter and as Lie says, if you've only got one down-vote, then the majority of the community have no problem with your question.
Most experienced community members here regularly leave comments on questions or answers they may think aren't as clear as they could be, or may not belong here, often without down-voting initially. So it's very unlikely to be one of them who've down-voted you.
Ultimately, unless the down-voter comes here and explains their reasoning, we're really all just guessing why they did it.
Your particular question, I thought was possibly border-line whether it should be here or not, but there was no way that you (or we) could know if it was ontopic or not, without having an answer to that tells us where the sim-lock is, and whether it's Android specific. It's a bit "chicken-and-egg" you can't tell if it's ontopic until someone answers to say it is (or not), and you may not always get a good answer if someone thinks it's off-topic. Personally I'd say on-topic, obviously someone disagreed.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: I'm not commenting on the up/down vote as much as the assertion that several people have made that it's off-topic. It very well may not be an Android specific question when you know the answer but I think it's clear by the way he phrased it, that he didn't know that it's not Android specific. Personally, I think it's sufficiently related to the use of Android phones not to warrant "Off-topic" votes, especially when it's clear that the OP thinks it may be Android specific.
Upvotes: 2 |
2011/02/08 | 816 | 3,294 | <issue_start>username_0: Looking at [this answer](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/5713/are-there-any-coding-training-games-for-android/5718#5718) which essentially says "No, there is not an app" but got comments saying "You know for a fact there are no coding games for Android?" implying that to answer "No" you must provide proof that none of the 200K android apps meet your needs.
Compared to [this question](https://android.stackexchange.com/q/5704/2199) which has no answers, but a comment that says "I've also looked and have not seen anything available at the moment.". That comment is logically an answer, but it is an answer that says "No" and was posted by a mod.
Is there a preferred way to answer "No" to "Is there an App that does ABC?"?<issue_comment>username_1: Often you can find other sources (even if just forum posts, etc) supporting the assertion that no app for ABC exists or, better still, posts explaining why it is not (currently) possible if there is some technical block to having such an app.
Where you can cite this kind of supporting evidence, I would think you are better placed to provide a genuine answer.
Without any supporting evidence, where the answer really is just "I can't find one", then my preference would be for a comment.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Another take: Stack Exchange is focused on having answers that are relevant long-term. A "No" is only relevant until someone make an app, whereas a "Yes, X" is always relevant because even if the app is removed from the Market, there's a timestamp on the answer.
A "No" also doesn't help the user with their problem, unless their problem is "I can't stop searching unless told not to" :P
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: Better to say "not at this time" or "not that I have found".
Because there very well might not be an app that does what the asker wants.
Maybe no one has built it. Maybe it's just not possible with the state of the OS and hardware. At least, as it currently exists.
It would be better if askers described what problem they're trying to solve rather than asking for an app. There might be solutions they haven't considered.
---
This shows up one of the problems with shopping recommendations. Personally, I have come around to thinking that "I need an app that does X, Y, or Z" should be closed as off-topic, while a better question would be "How can I do X, Y and Z".
I mean, unless I have actually used an app that does exactly what they're asking for, in order to answer their question I'm just going to the Market and searching on some of their keywords. They can do that. Instead of crafting their own good search, they've finagled me into doing it for them. This site is about helping Android Enthusiasts use their devices, not helping people learn to search.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: It would be more accurate to say "None that I know of", because there can perfectly be one, including a private one.
Also Stackexchange aims at being a knowledge base, with long term questions and long term valid answers. A "No" or "Not at this time" is *not* a long term answer.
But actually the question itself is poorly written. It should be "What application does ...", having no answer until such an application exists.
Upvotes: 2 |
2011/02/09 | 747 | 3,081 | <issue_start>username_0: This morning I didn't have Mod Tools on AE, this afternoon I get a banner saying I do, and they do seem to be there. I'm currently at 4,309 rep and according to the Recent Activity page I've only gained 10 rep so far today.
Pretty sure that last time I looked Mod Tools on the parent site still needed 10K (they're much lower on Meta, I've had them here for a while).
Can't see any new Stackoverflow/Exchange blog posts yet, was this a deliberate change for still in beta sites, or just a bug that's happening on my account?<issue_comment>username_1: Often you can find other sources (even if just forum posts, etc) supporting the assertion that no app for ABC exists or, better still, posts explaining why it is not (currently) possible if there is some technical block to having such an app.
Where you can cite this kind of supporting evidence, I would think you are better placed to provide a genuine answer.
Without any supporting evidence, where the answer really is just "I can't find one", then my preference would be for a comment.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Another take: Stack Exchange is focused on having answers that are relevant long-term. A "No" is only relevant until someone make an app, whereas a "Yes, X" is always relevant because even if the app is removed from the Market, there's a timestamp on the answer.
A "No" also doesn't help the user with their problem, unless their problem is "I can't stop searching unless told not to" :P
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: Better to say "not at this time" or "not that I have found".
Because there very well might not be an app that does what the asker wants.
Maybe no one has built it. Maybe it's just not possible with the state of the OS and hardware. At least, as it currently exists.
It would be better if askers described what problem they're trying to solve rather than asking for an app. There might be solutions they haven't considered.
---
This shows up one of the problems with shopping recommendations. Personally, I have come around to thinking that "I need an app that does X, Y, or Z" should be closed as off-topic, while a better question would be "How can I do X, Y and Z".
I mean, unless I have actually used an app that does exactly what they're asking for, in order to answer their question I'm just going to the Market and searching on some of their keywords. They can do that. Instead of crafting their own good search, they've finagled me into doing it for them. This site is about helping Android Enthusiasts use their devices, not helping people learn to search.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: It would be more accurate to say "None that I know of", because there can perfectly be one, including a private one.
Also Stackexchange aims at being a knowledge base, with long term questions and long term valid answers. A "No" or "Not at this time" is *not* a long term answer.
But actually the question itself is poorly written. It should be "What application does ...", having no answer until such an application exists.
Upvotes: 2 |
2011/02/16 | 1,244 | 4,596 | <issue_start>username_0: Hi all. I'm [Jin](http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2010/07/our-designer-in-residence-jin-yang/), and I'll be working on the designs for the Stack Exchange sites as they graduate from the beta phase. Each site will have its own unique theme that will reflect its topic. However, all sites will share quite a bit of common elements so they feel like they're part of the Stack Exchange family.
I'm in the very early stage of brainstorming for design concepts of the Android.SE's official theme. I want to pitch some of my ideas to the community before I start t designing.
* Overall look and feel: modern, clean and minimalist. The site should feel similar to the [user interface elements](http://speckyboy.com/2010/05/10/android-app-developers-gui-kits-icons-fonts-and-tools/) found in most Android phones.
* Use the [Android robot](http://www.android.com/branding.html) as favicon or part of the header image, since we're allowed to use it legally.
* Color scheme: white with black, yellow and green accent colors. Green from the Android Robot (#A4C639)
* Typography: I'd like to use [Droid Sans](http://code.google.com/webfonts/family?family=Droid+Sans&subset=latin) as the header and body text(via @font-face). However I need to make sure the font renders smoothly at a smaller size on Windows.
Please let me know what you think. Also feel free to post your own ideas. One thing I need to stress is that I'd like to focus on **ONE** overall look and feel. For now I feel the modern and slick one works well, since it represents Android UI. Feel free to disagree, but explain your argument.
Here are some of my questions for smaller details:
* What should the tag and badge treatment be?
* What should be used for the 404/error/captcha page images? I'm thinking about using the Android Robot for these, to keep a whimsical theme.
* What are some of the Android related sites out there that you like(design wise). I've looked at quite a few, but haven't found any that stands out for me. Keep in mind, while I want the our site to look "Android-ish," but it's also important to give this community a distinct identity.
That's all, thanks!<issue_comment>username_1: Great news :)
The 404/error/captcha pages should feature [Androidify](http://androidify.com/) versions of Jeff, Joel and the rest of the crew.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I much prefer a sans font, so I think that's a good choice.
~~As for badges/tags, it'd by nice if they were similar to the standard buttons.~~
A smaller version of  with text might serve for badges. Change the color in the center for bronze/silver/gold.
The buttons here  are definitely viable for both. They gray/silver could be for normal tags, the yellow for featured tags.
How about this?  It's actually an arm from the Android mascot.
Perhaps not as in-your-face green, but the radius of the curve evokes Android.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Other places you might look to for inspiration: There is an Android [Gmail theme](http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=112508), a [Chrome theme](https://tools.google.com/chrome/intl/en/themes/index.html) as well as several themes for iGoogle (though these last are unofficial).
None of the Android blogs I read have designs that really "inspire". [AndroidTapp](http://www.androidtapp.com/) looks the best (I think) but is not overtly "androidy".
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: I personally don't mind the [Android Web Market](http://market.android.com) colour scheme and look. It's a very minimalistic design that incorporates all of Androids colours (except for orange).
I think the logo should definitely have the Android in it.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: I like the look and feel of **[AndroidandMe.com](http://androidandme.com/)**.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_5: The look and feel of [Android Patterns is another neat site](http://www.androidpatterns.com). as for the front page especially and the questions, it would be cool if they were composed along the lines of the the system status window shade:
obviously we'd have more horizontal space to work with, but stretched it would fit the stack aesthetic pretty well. The little bumper at the bottom would be a fun trick to play around with if we were going to have a page/comment load transition.
Upvotes: 3 |
2011/02/20 | 265 | 1,153 | <issue_start>username_0: I have a [question](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/6188/how-do-i-determine-which-app-is-syncing) that has already been asked and answered and that answer has been accepted, however the accepted answer doesn't answer the question. How should this be handled? My question is a clear duplicate however there little to no chance that I will get a sufficient answer from the original because the asker is satisfied with the only answer and has accepted it.
The best I could come up with was reopening my question and amending it to explain why the answer there didn't work for me.<issue_comment>username_1: I believe that's the current recommendation for cases like this.
Ask your question, noting the duplicate and how the accepted answer there doesn't work for you. That should keep it from being closed as a duplicate.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: It's generally sufficient to link to the other question and explain why it doesn't meet your needs.
All we're looking for is some kind of evidence that the question asker put some effort into it, and this clearly meets that bar.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer] |
2011/02/22 | 254 | 910 | <issue_start>username_0: About 2 days ago, I noticed my rep was 1897 points.
Today it's even lower than yesterday at 1642.
Going thru the graph in my profile, however shows no indication that my rep ever touched the 1800 mark.
Is anyone else noticing a problem with the rep points or is it just me?
I haven't noticed any of my answers being downvoted etc. Any ideas?<issue_comment>username_1: You probably had a reputation re-calc. The number on your profile doesn't change immediately when a question or answer (where you had upvotes/downvotes) is deleted.
I do know that a number of old, closed, off-topic questions were deleted recently.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: They recently did a site-wide rep recalc. See the discussion at [meta](https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/80862/sudden-sharp-reputation-drop-problem-points-disappeared-and-score-lost-recalc).
Upvotes: 1 |
2011/03/01 | 532 | 1,770 | <issue_start>username_0: The [FAQ](https://android.stackexchange.com/faq) doesn't currently discuss shopping. In the faq question: [FAQ: "What kind of questions should I NOT ask here?"](https://android.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/247/faq-what-kind-of-questions-should-i-not-ask-here) there is an [answer](https://android.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/247/faq-what-kind-of-questions-should-i-not-ask-here/249#249) that says that shopping recommendations are not allowed, but that app recommendations are "on the border".
Are these on topic: I need an app that does XYZ? or I want a widget that does ABC.<issue_comment>username_1: I like what Al said over [here](https://android.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/246/faq-what-kind-of-questions-should-i-ask-here/252#252):
>
> Some completely made up example
> titles:
>
>
>
> ```
> * How can I stop certain apps from starting automatically? Should I?
> * How can I export my contacts to a CSV file?
> * How can I get my Calendar app to start the week on a Monday?
> * How can I send a single SMS message to multiple recipients?
> * How do I root my Android device? Why would I want to?
>
> ```
>
> I guess the key here is if you can't
> phrase it as "How can/do I do X on my
> device (in this app)?" it's suspect.
>
>
>
So basically, don't ask "What's the best music player" (very subjective) but "[How can I play gapless music](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/6497/which-apps-do-gapless-music-playback)" instead. The former is way too subjective and differs on opinion whereas we can actually answer the latter question.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Such questions should be posted here instead:
Software Recommendations
<https://softwarerecs.stackexchange.com/>
Upvotes: 1 |
2011/03/03 | 792 | 3,345 | <issue_start>username_0: Firs at all I like android enthusiasts very much,
I am kinda scared that if you keep going like this, you are going to close this site.
My questions are :
Why do you so often closing questions ?
Does you have statistics to compare how many questions has been closed here and at others sites ?
If I take a look at my profile at Stackoverflow there is 54 questions and only 2 closed, at serverfault I have 35 questions with 2 closing at superuser I have 6 question and one moved to serverfault. Here on android I have 8 questions with 4 closes.
Is this case only for me or there is others who having same situation with high frequency closing questions ?<issue_comment>username_1: I don't think I've yet seen a question closed that didn't have a legitimate reason to be closed. If you feel like many of your questions are being closed then you might just want to re-read the FAQ and some of the Meta topics so that you know what is considered appropriate for AE and what is not. Closing questions is an important part of keeping the site clean and organized, and isn't necessarily a bad sign, but an indicator that the higher-rep users are involved.
I would also say that we get a large number of development questions due to the word "Android" in the title of the site, and they are all subsequently closed and moved to SO. I have no data to go along with that statement, but it seems to happen pretty frequently.
When the site is in beta there is a lot of onus on the high-rep users and mods to make sure that the rules are enforced, since it's a time period that will define the site later on down the road. Perhaps this encourages people to use their votes, but again, I don't (personally) feel that any questions are being closed without reasonable cause.
That being said, I also only see one closed question on your account on AE, though perhaps you have others that were deleted which I cannot view. The one that I can still see was very clearly 1) A shopping recommendation, which is decidedly off-topic and 2) A fairly subjective comparison of two devices.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: In addition to what username_1 said (with which I fully agree):
I believe we're about to be graduated out of beta, so I don't think you need to be worried about the site closing.
But beyond that, StackOverflow expects objective questions about programming problems. Looking at your questions there, they fit very well. Here, we expect objective questions about using the Android operating system. **All** of your questions here are either "Can you do X on Android" which you should mostly be Googling, or entirely subjective questions like "Must-have apps", "How can we help visually impaired users", "Which protocol should I use for NAS", etc. None of them are good questions.
For help forming good questions, see [FAQ: "What kind of questions should I ask here?"](https://android.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/246/faq-what-kind-of-questions-should-i-ask-here/)
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: Having been a StackOverflow moderator for the past few weeks, I can tell you that the Android tag probably has a higher percentage of closed questions than any other tag (mostly as "Not a Real Question").
I'll leave the question of *why that is the case* as an exercise for the reader.
Upvotes: 3 |
2011/03/04 | 660 | 2,808 | <issue_start>username_0: Is there any way by which a user can be sent a private message or is there some other way of contacting them say, via email ?<issue_comment>username_1: I don't think I've yet seen a question closed that didn't have a legitimate reason to be closed. If you feel like many of your questions are being closed then you might just want to re-read the FAQ and some of the Meta topics so that you know what is considered appropriate for AE and what is not. Closing questions is an important part of keeping the site clean and organized, and isn't necessarily a bad sign, but an indicator that the higher-rep users are involved.
I would also say that we get a large number of development questions due to the word "Android" in the title of the site, and they are all subsequently closed and moved to SO. I have no data to go along with that statement, but it seems to happen pretty frequently.
When the site is in beta there is a lot of onus on the high-rep users and mods to make sure that the rules are enforced, since it's a time period that will define the site later on down the road. Perhaps this encourages people to use their votes, but again, I don't (personally) feel that any questions are being closed without reasonable cause.
That being said, I also only see one closed question on your account on AE, though perhaps you have others that were deleted which I cannot view. The one that I can still see was very clearly 1) A shopping recommendation, which is decidedly off-topic and 2) A fairly subjective comparison of two devices.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: In addition to what username_1 said (with which I fully agree):
I believe we're about to be graduated out of beta, so I don't think you need to be worried about the site closing.
But beyond that, StackOverflow expects objective questions about programming problems. Looking at your questions there, they fit very well. Here, we expect objective questions about using the Android operating system. **All** of your questions here are either "Can you do X on Android" which you should mostly be Googling, or entirely subjective questions like "Must-have apps", "How can we help visually impaired users", "Which protocol should I use for NAS", etc. None of them are good questions.
For help forming good questions, see [FAQ: "What kind of questions should I ask here?"](https://android.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/246/faq-what-kind-of-questions-should-i-ask-here/)
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: Having been a StackOverflow moderator for the past few weeks, I can tell you that the Android tag probably has a higher percentage of closed questions than any other tag (mostly as "Not a Real Question").
I'll leave the question of *why that is the case* as an exercise for the reader.
Upvotes: 3 |
2011/03/08 | 581 | 2,223 | <issue_start>username_0: Yesterday I asked a question:
[Decent Battery Monitoring App [closed]](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/6738/decent-battery-monitoring-app)
It was closed because it's claimed to ask for shopping recommendation. Actually, I'm not asking for a shopping recommendation, but an app recommendation. Now I wonder why this question is not getting closed then?:
[Must have applications for Android?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/495/must-have-applications-for-android)
If what I asked is a shopping recommendation, then that one is asking even for more. Additionally, we have a [software-rec] tag on SuperUser and we think these kind of questions are quite useful. Note that "Shopping recommendations" are also off-topic on SuperUser.
IMO, there should be a difference (in other words, a line) between "shopping recommendations" and "software/app recommendations".
For example, this question totally asks for shopping recommendation, but it seems to be allowed here:
[What are the least carrier-crippled Android phones?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/6755/what-are-the-least-carrier-crippled-android-phones)
What are the opinions of Android Enthusiasts on this?<issue_comment>username_1: >
> Actually, I'm not asking for a shopping recommendation, but an app recommendation.
>
>
>
And the difference is...?
This is bad:
>
> Recommend an android battery monitoring app to me.
>
>
>
This is good:
>
> How do I monitor the heat level and voltage of my android phone battery, and measure its remaining life in hours?
>
>
>
Feel free to make it even more specific than that, but the general idea is that you should be asking about your *problem*, and encouraging others to teach you how to solve it.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: We don't want questions phrased as: "What is an app that does A, B, and C?"
We want questions phrased as "How do I do X, Y, and Z?"
The answer to the latter may very well be an app, but then again maybe not. When you ask for an app, you've already got a solution in mind. Answers to that are generally only going to help *you*. We're more interested in questions that may help many people.
Upvotes: 3 |
2011/03/08 | 3,024 | 12,542 | <issue_start>username_0: **Thank you for your confidence in our abilities!** But have you read the [Android Enthusiasts FAQ](https://android.stackexchange.com/faq)?
This site is primarily a source to help people **use** their Android devices, whether it's an issue with hardware, software, a particular app, or even rooting. However, we get some other questions that don't fit here.
Yes, someone here might be able to help you, but you'll find that other forums and sites more focused on your topic can give you a much better answer than a bunch of Android geeks. It's likely that your question will be downvoted, closed, and in some cases marked "offensive." It's not that we hate you, it's just that we are trying to maintain the site's focus for maximum usability.
What forums can people go to to ask the questions that are off topic here? (Please list only **one** forum per answer so votes can bring the best forums to the top.)
Some potential topics might be:
* shopping recommendations
* phone hardware comparisons
* moderation support
* news blogs
* and so on
**Questions about programming issues with Android belong on [Stack Overflow](http://www.stackoverflow.com/questions/tagged/android).**<issue_comment>username_1: [Android and Me](http://androidandme.com/)
------------------------------------------
News blog.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_1: [Android Arena](http://www.androidarena.com/)
---------------------------------------------
News blog.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_1: [Android Central](http://www.androidcentral.com/)
-------------------------------------------------
News blog and discussion forums. Here you can:
* check for [Android Accessories](http://forums.androidcentral.com/android-accessories/) (hint: Shopping recommendations seem to be on-topic here)
* participate in [Carrier Discussion](http://forums.androidcentral.com/carrier-discussion/)
* discuss [Android Developers](http://forums.androidcentral.com/android-developers/) issues
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_1: [Android Community](http://androidcommunity.com/)
-------------------------------------------------
News blog, reviews, discussion forums, videos.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_1: [AndroidSPIN](http://androidspin.com/)
--------------------------------------
News, discussion, app finder, phones and accessories store. Discussion forums cover the following areas (among others):
* [Carriers](http://forum.androidspin.com/forumdisplay.php/1406-Carriers)
* [Android Customization and Development](http://forum.androidspin.com/forumdisplay.php/1404-Android-Customization-and-Development)
* [Android Software](http://forum.androidspin.com/forumdisplay.php/1401-Android-Software)
* several device-specific areas, including device-specific development
* [AndroidSPIN Marketplace](http://forum.androidspin.com/forumdisplay.php/1405-AndroidSPIN-Marketplace) to obtain/sell devices
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_1: [Android Tapp](http://www.androidtapp.com/)
-------------------------------------------
App reviews, dev interviews, news.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_1: [Droid Gamers](http://droidgamers.com/)
---------------------------------------
Android game reviews and news. Discussion forums.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_1: [Droid Life](http://www.droid-life.com/about/)
----------------------------------------------
Focused on the Droid family, but offers general Android news and information as well. Also reviews of apps and accessories.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: [Our Chatroom](http://chat.stackexchange.com/)
----------------------------------------------
Anything Android related, really.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_1: [Phandroid](http://phandroid.com/)
----------------------------------
News blog and podcast. See news for individual carriers, manufacturers, phones, or apps. Also [discussion forums](http://androidforums.com/):
* find [Android accessories](http://androidforums.com/android-accessories/) (shopping recommendations seem to be on-topic here)
* discussions on [Android Development](http://androidforums.com/android-development/)
* [Android Carriers](http://androidforums.com/android-carriers/) (mentioned in our FAQ as *Android-independent phone questions, such as "Does Carrier X have prepaid plans?"*)
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: [XDA-developers](http://forum.xda-developers.com)
-------------------------------------------------
Large development community with plenty of space for users and devs alike to talk about anything Android. Sub-forums for specific devices. **Beware the trolls!**
* [App Development Forums](http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=2188) (Development tools, marketing, monetization) This e.g. explicitly includes *Issues with the Android Market from the point of view of a developer or publisher* and *Marketing your Android app*, which are off-topic at Android Enthusiasts
* [Android Development and Hacking](http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=564)
* Several device-specific development areas
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_3: [Android Developers Forums](http://developer.android.com/resources/community-groups.html)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
List of different groups or forums for discussing development questions.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: [Anddev.org](http://www.anddev.org/)
------------------------------------
Help with Android development and plenty of tutorials
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: [Reddit's Android Community](http://www.reddit.com/r/android+androidappreviews+androidapps+androiddev+nexusone+androidisawesome+androidquestions+htcevo+Galaxy_S+droid+htcdesire+androidthemes+htchero+redwall)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Links and discussions for all things Android.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: [Stack Overflow](https://stackoverflow.com/)
============================================
For programming questions, including ones that just happen to be Android-related.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: [Super User](https://superuser.com/)
====================================
For questions about non-Android technology use. For example, "What's required for a computer to be able to receive video over DLNA from my Android phone?" is really a question about computers, not Android, and should be on SuperUser. If you have a DLNA card and appropriate PC software and can't get your phone to broadcast, however, Android Enthusiasts is a great place to ask a question about that.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_5: [Google](http://www.google.com)
-------------------------------
Sometimes a little Google-fu is all you need to solve your problem.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_1: [IT Security](https://security.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/android)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
One of our very own Stack Exchange sites. It has quite a few questions tagged "[android](https://security.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/android)".
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_1: [User Experience](https://ux.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/android)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Stack Exchange site for issues regarding user experience and interface design. It has quite a few questions tagged "[android](https://ux.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/android)".
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_1: [Software Engineering](https://softwareengineering.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/android)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Software Engineering Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professionals, academics, and students working within the systems development life cycle. If you have a question about...
>
>
> * software development methods and practices
> * requirements, architecture, and design
> * quality assurance and testing
> * configuration management, build, release, and deployment
>
>
> ...then you're *probably* in the right place to ask your question.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_6: [AndroidPIT](http://www.androidpit.com/)
----------------------------------------
News Blog, Forums (including device-specific and developer areas), App-Reviews, it even has its own [App Center](http://www.androidpit.de/de/android-market) where reviews are linked to the apps, and more.
* Development: [EN](http://www.androidpit.com/en/android/forum/category/1004000/Android-Developer-Forum) | [DE](http://www.androidpit.de/de/android/forum/category/4000/Android-Developer-Forum)
* Hardware search/shopping recommendations: [EN](http://www.androidpit.com/en/android/forum/category/1005020/) | [DE](http://www.androidpit.de/de/android/forum/category/2002927/)
* phone tariffs/data plans of different providers: [DE](http://www.androidpit.de/de/android/forum/category/2003257/Tarife-Forum)
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_7: [Android tag on Quora](https://www.quora.com/Android-OS)
--------------------------------------------------------
You can ask anything Android related here. Unlike SE sites, subjective questions are welcomed here. Though you'll most likely get opinions, not solutions there.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_1: [PhoneRocket](http://phonerocket.com/)
--------------------------------------
Not a discussion forum per se, the site offers comparisons of different smartphones.
>
> The site scores smartphones based on aggregated reviews, benchmarks, and specs. PhoneRocket also offers some common phone comparisons (Galaxy S4 vs. iPhone 5 and Galaxy S4 vs. HTC One, for example), and the ability to pit any two phones against each other.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_8: [Android Police](http://www.androidpolice.com/)
-----------------------------------------------
Android news, app reviews, firmware updates, sharing tips, tricks, tutorials, videos and podcasts, device reviews, info about custom ROMs and hacks.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_8: [GSM Arena](http://www.gsmarena.com/)
-------------------------------------
Android news, Android tech blog, device reviews, device tech specs and pictures, device estimated prices, device comparison, device rankings, device search based on user requested features, rumored devices.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: [Software Recommendations](https://softwarerecs.meta.stackexchange.com/q/336/185)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is one of our newer sister-sites, dedicated to software recommendations (aka "Is there an app for X?"). Please read the linked article before posting there to not have your question closed straight away, as it needs to meet certain criteria to be accepted.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_9: [Unix & Linux](https://unix.stackexchange.com/)
-----------------------------------------------
Another Stack Exchange site specific to Linux and Unix. They do say that [most question about Android are off-topic](https://unix.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/103/are-android-questions-on-topic) (because they belong either at StackOverflow, or Here) but if the questions actually relate to the "\*nix" part of Android, they are on-topic. I have also seen quite a [few "compiling android" questions](https://unix.stackexchange.com/search?q=compile+android) there as well. So *Custom ROM Development* may be able to be asked there.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_10: [Android Authority](http://www.androidauthority.com/)
-----------------------------------------------------
You can ask question on the [Q&A page](http://www.androidauthority.com/qa/ask)
**Other Features**:
Forum, Security, Development, Reviews, News, Interviews, Debates, Opinions etc
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: [Hardware Recommendations](https://hardwarerecs.stackexchange.com/)
===================================================================
Similar to Software Recommendations, but for hardware. Please note that they expect questions to be [specific and clear](https://hardwarerecs.meta.stackexchange.com/q/205/944) — you should read their [FAQ](https://hardwarerecs.stackexchange.com/help/asking) and [other guidance](https://hardwarerecs.meta.stackexchange.com/) before posting.
Upvotes: 3 |
2011/03/18 | 454 | 1,903 | <issue_start>username_0: I was reading the comments on [this post](https://android.stackexchange.com/q/7114/2422) and got a bit confused as to why JonnyP and travis were talking about Flipside and Motorola when the OP had a Droid Incredible. Now to be fair had I not been skimming the comments I wouldn't have been confused - but it does seem odd to be discussing a different problem in the comments. Now the comments there are kinda on-topic to be helpful to someone else (I think?). But if someone were to come across that again - let it go or ask them to move the conversation to chat/start a new post? I don't mean to be a bully about it and its great that JonnyP is helping travis out but their comments are not helping the OP at all... right? Please correct me if I'm wrong about this.<issue_comment>username_1: I think for that particular question it's okay. The issue doesn't appear to be device specific, so the steps JonnyP is suggesting should help both people.
If Travis had opened a new question, we almost certainly would have closed it as a duplicate of this question.
That's not to say that it's okay to hijack someone else's question, but that in this case I don't think it's out-of-bounds.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: My part in that conversation started because travis said that his phone had the same problem as the OP's, so at first I was trying to find a common thread between their two devices. If they were both running ROMs running Sense UI that would suggest that perhaps it wasn't necessarily a hardware-specific issue and those of us trying to help should focus more on their particular firmwares and not just the phones themselves. When travis said he didn't know I wanted to try to be clear when explaining to him what he needed to know in order to give me a useful answer.
I hope that clarifies my seemingly off-topic comments. :)
Upvotes: 1 |
2011/03/21 | 528 | 2,097 | <issue_start>username_0: I asked a [question](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/7160/why-cant-i-boot-into-recovery-mode) about booting into recovery mode [here](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/7160/why-cant-i-boot-into-recovery-mode) and tagged it with "t-mobile G1" because that's the device that was giving me grief and because I suspected that the phone manufacturer and model might be relevant to the answer. Looking at the answers, it does seem to be relevant: "Apparently download and recovery modes are merged for the G1."
Al Everett went through the other night and pulled the "t-mobile g1" tag off of most of my posts. In most cases I understand -- ultimately the questions and answers weren't G1 specific (though I didn't know that when I asked them). In this case the answer was so I'm curious about the logic behind pulling the tag. Thanks!<issue_comment>username_1: Because it didn't seem device-specific.
We have far too many questions here tagged with the user's device, but neither the question nor answers are specific to that device.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: In this case I do think the tag should have stayed. But Al is right that we have way too many questions tagged with the device for no real reason. If you're not sure if it's relevant, just mention your device in the question and leave off the tags. See also: [Should we discourage phone model tags in non-phone-specific questions?](https://android.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/260/should-we-discourage-phone-model-tags-in-non-phone-specific-questions/)
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: Al is correct, the device specific tags are getting a little out of hand but I'm going to have to agree with Amanda and username_2 on this one. I think that it is sufficiently device specific to warrant a device specific tag. I think it's important to consider that tags are not necessarily mutually exclusive. I restored the tag but shouldn't it be tagged "htc-g1" instead of "tmobile-g1"? I thought the practice was "manufacturer-model" not "carrier-model".
Upvotes: 2 |
2011/03/23 | 835 | 3,233 | <issue_start>username_0: Thank you for [your help](https://android.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/339/design-ideas-for-android-se-site) on the design brainstorm session. Below are the mockups for the final site theme based on some of the ideas we talked about.
(please click on images to see the full resolution versions)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/T9UHn.png)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/fFqXo.png)
The design goal is to give this community a distinct look and feel, while still looking like a part of the Stack Exchange network. So I'm not making any layout changes.
The design should also reflect the Android branding. After looking at numerous Android related sites and UI patterns, I've become a big fan of its simplistic and elegant designs.
For the overall look and feel, I want to keep the site airy and clean. The faint honeycomb pattern in the background provides a pleasant noise, but does not get in the way of the content. I also think "Honeycomb" is an appropriate pattern to use because of the Android tablet name.
For the most of the site elements, I went for a "flat" look, polished by hints of translucency. The 3D effects are only reserved for action items such as buttons and widgets.
Of course I'm also using the established green (#A4C639) from the Android branding.
For the typeface, I'm using [Droid Sans](http://www.google.com/webfonts/family?family=Droid+Sans&subset=latin).
Please let me know what you think. Assuming there are no major design changes, the site will launch very soon.<issue_comment>username_1: I like it. I especially like the badge icons.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Nice! My only gripe is that the "Recent Badges" puts the badge icons on an awfully dark background -- darker than even the header and footer banner background. That seems off to me, because it makes recent badges (which, I'll grant, are important) look like **the most important** thing on the page. I wonder if they couldn't be on a lighter background?
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: Love it, love the badge icons and the Andy's holding the banner up at the top, and the overall fairly clean look, with that bit of fun.
Not totally convinced about the honeycomb background, but also not sure what it could be replaced with.
One suggestion might to do with just making the bar at the top subtly ape the Android notification bar, by removing the background from the top bar, leaving it as a solid colour (or a slight gradient) and left aligning StackExchange logo, while right aligning the search box and icons, username, etc.
Anyway love it overall and don't take this as a criticism.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: A very pleasing selection of colours, however looking at the images, isn't there a bit too much wasted screen real estate on either side?
Also, I hope this is a fluid layout and renders well on most browsers including those on Android devices.
Finally - since we depend on QUESTIONS from users, perhaps the **ASK QUESTION** could be made more noticeable (either via a change of colouring or font / size)?
Great work, overall.
Upvotes: 2 |
2011/03/23 | 882 | 3,057 | <issue_start>username_0: A lot of folks are using the [tmobile-g1](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/tmobile-g1 "show questions tagged 'tmobile-g1'") tag to refer to the "HTC G1" ... presumably because the phone has no HTC branding on it and the tag exists so it seems reasonable (that's why I used it ...) Seems like both [tmobile-g1](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/tmobile-g1 "show questions tagged 'tmobile-g1'") and [htc-dream](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/htc-dream "show questions tagged 'htc-dream'") should be merged under a single tag that follows the "[manufacturer-model](https://android.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/82/more-tag-redundancy-phone-models)" format.
I don't have the reputation to suggest tag synonyms but this seems worth addressing?
>
> Users with more than 1250 reputation and a total answer score of 5 or more on the tag, can suggest tag synonyms. Users with a total answer score of 5 or more, can vote for tag synonyms. Suggestions will be automatically approved when they reach a score of 4, and automatically deleted when they reach a score of -2.
>
>
>
I propose perhaps a community wiki here on meta to tease out all the poorly formed device tags and identify the correct tag they belong under.
Perhaps along the way we can do more re-tagging of posts with [inappropriate device tags](https://android.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/260/should-we-discourage-phone-model-tags-in-non-phone-specific-questions) so that [new users](https://android.meta.stackexchange.com/users/3550/amanda) don't look around, see a lot of bad behavior and model their own posts after folks who are doing it wrong!<issue_comment>username_1: [htc-g1](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/htc-g1) is a synonym for [t-mobile-g1](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/t-mobile-g1) and [htc-dream](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/htc-dream)
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_1: [G2](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/g2) and [HTC G2](https://android.stackexchange.com/tags/htc-g2/info) should be merged; It [sounds like](https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/HTC_Desire_Z) both belong under [HTC Desire Z](https://android.stackexchange.com/tags/htc-desire-z/info).
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: The [xoom](https://android.stackexchange.com/tags/xoom/info) tag should be made a synonym of [motorola-xoom](https://android.stackexchange.com/tags/motorola-xoom/info).
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: There were three questions tagged `[galaxy]` which I retagged. Two were also tagged with `[samsung-galaxy-s]` and the third didn't seem to have relevance to the galaxy series at all.
I'm hesitant to suggest that `[galaxy]` should be a synonym of `[samsung-galaxy-s]` since there are other galaxy devices (and "galaxy" alone is really quite vague)...but it's one to consider, possibly, since that seems to be what many people mean when they just say "I have a galaxy" (or similar).
Upvotes: 0 |
2011/03/24 | 698 | 2,569 | <issue_start>username_0: There are a handful of posts tagged with [iphone](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/iphone), [iphone-4](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/iphone-4), [ios](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/ios), [ios4](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/ios4).
Often the question is OS specific -- how do I migrate my contacts [to](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/751/how-to-get-contacts-from-an-android-phone-to-an-iphone) or [from](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/7358/how-do-i-transfer-iphone-contacts-to-a-android-phone) an iPhone -- or at least isn't about doing something with the iPhone device other than running the iOS on it.
Some are device specific ([can I install Android 2.2 on my iPhone 3G](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/664/installing-android-on-iphone-3g)) so they pass the [device tag test](https://android.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/260/should-we-discourage-phone-model-tags-in-non-phone-specific-questions) even though they might also be redundant. Do they need revising to follow our [device tag model](https://android.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/82/more-tag-redundancy-phone-models)? (apple-iphone-3g) or is iphone-3g sufficient? [iphone](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/iphone) is inadequately ambiguous.
How should these be tidied up?<issue_comment>username_1: Since we're focused on Android, not iDevices, I don't think we need to be as "strict" about being very specific about devices or the distinction between hardware and OS.
I think the only tags we need are [iphone](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/iphone "show questions tagged 'iphone'") and *maybe* [ios](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/ios "show questions tagged 'ios'").
If the type of device is really that important to the question, then it seems to me that the question is probably off-topic.
By the by, some of the questions you're running into were migrated from the defunct gadgets.stackexchange.com. Android and iPhone were both on topic. Not sure if we should bother resurrecting those.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I've merged [iphone](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/iphone "show questions tagged 'iphone'") into [ios](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/ios "show questions tagged 'ios'"). There wasn't a good distinction being made in their use and I don't think we've got all that many questions that were truly iPhone-specific.
Upvotes: 2 |
2011/03/25 | 198 | 757 | <issue_start>username_0: I can't seem to find a pattern that explains what I'm seeing. If necessary I can cobble together a screen shot upon request.
**Edit:** Here's a screenshot.
<issue_comment>username_1: If you're talking about how the row is highlighted, that's because "bug" is a favorite tag of yours and that question uses that tag.
~~If you're talking about the "status-deferred" tag, that's because it's a special "moderator-only" tag.~~
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: They are tags that are commonly used on all StackExchange websites meta sites. They are primarily used to express the SE developer's response to requests, etc. (hence status-complete, etc.)
Upvotes: 0 |
2011/03/25 | 2,755 | 10,103 | <issue_start>username_0: [vanilla](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/vanilla "show questions tagged 'vanilla'"), [stock](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/stock "show questions tagged 'stock'") and [stock-android](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/stock-android "show questions tagged 'stock-android'") are being used interchangeably, and belong lumped together under "stock-android."
Also, I took it upon myself to [define stock-android](https://android.stackexchange.com/tags/stock-android/info) but folks should weigh in about whether that's really what we mean by "stock"<issue_comment>username_1: After thinking about this some more and looking around online I decided to edit my original answer. (Original Post labeled further down below).
If you look at the [Merriam-Webster Thesaurus entry for "stock"](http://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stock) you can see that a few other words for "stock" are "standard", "normal", and "regular". So to me, "stock-Android" is the Android that comes in the [SDK](http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html) or from [AOSP](http://source.android.com/index.html). Plain and simple. Its the unaltered version of Android that Google puts out for use (this is on "Pure Google Experience" phones as username_2 said). That said it would make more sense instead for it to be [stock-android-2.2](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/stock-android-2.2 "show questions tagged 'stock-android-2.2'") and [stock-android-2.3](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/stock-android-2.3 "show questions tagged 'stock-android-2.3'") or even better [stock-froyo](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/stock-froyo "show questions tagged 'stock-froyo'") and [stock-gingerbread](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/stock-gingerbread "show questions tagged 'stock-gingerbread'"). That way we know exactly what stock Android the person is talking about. Currently [stock-android](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/stock-android "show questions tagged 'stock-android'") by itself tells us nothing and if you were to search by that tag you would get posts ranging from Android 1.5 - 3.0. And if we defined it is as "android that comes with your phone", when you searched the tag you would get questions that are totally different and might relate to Sense, Touchwiz or Motoblur.
I think Amanda has a good idea to define a tag for the stock ROM that comes on a device - but I don't think [stock-android](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/stock-android "show questions tagged 'stock-android'") conveys the correct message. Instead it should be something like "stock-[insert device name]" (this would mean a tag for every device) or something like [stock-device-rom](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/stock-device-rom "show questions tagged 'stock-device-rom'") (so that we could just define one tag and it would indicate that whatever device they are talking about had the stock ROM). Here's actually an example [here on Android Enthusiasts](https://android.stackexchange.com/q/7396/2422) where the question and answer refer to "stock ROM" as being the original device ROM not "stock Android"
In all the time I've been playing with custom Android ROMs, hanging out on XDA and dabbling in development (since before Android 1.1 - I loaded stock Android 1.0 on my HTC Tilt before I even got an Android phone) I've never read "stock Android" referring to the stock Android that came on a device. Instead ROM builders would refer to it as a "stock HTC Hero ROM" or "stock HTC EVO ROM". When I was putting Android on my Tilt it was called "stock Android" but thats because thats exactly what it was - plain, default, AOSP Android.
I thought it might help to see some examples of what I mean:
**Examples here on Android Enthusiasts:**
* [How is Android more 'custom' than iOS?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/7430/how-is-android-more-custom-than-ios/7447#7447)
* [How can I replace HTC Sense?](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/2566/how-can-i-replace-htc-sense/2571#2571)
* [Calendar app on Desire - Can I get Stock Android Calendar?](https://android.stackexchange.com/q/4518/2422)
* [Differences Between HTC Sense and Stock Android?](https://android.stackexchange.com/q/1190/2422)
* [How can I de-brand my phone? (install stock android?)](https://android.stackexchange.com/q/3133/2422)
**Examples from XDA-developers:**
* [[Q] HTC EVO + Stock Android](http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=787860)
* [Stock Android](http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=975312)
* [Stock Android ROM](http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=724851)
* [[Q] Stock Android](http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=978555)
* [Petition for Stock Android.](http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=736923)
* [Stock Android Lock Screen Replacement](http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=783188)
**Examples from other sites:**
* [Tested](http://www.tested.com/news/whats-so-special-about-htc-sense-ui-for-android-phones/264/)
* [AndroidAndMe](http://androidandme.com/2011/03/phones/t-mobile-g2x-confirmed-as-first-dual-core-phone-with-stock-android/)
* [Engadget](http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/24/googles-schmidt-says-requiring-stock-android-would-violate-the/)
* [BGR](http://www.bgr.com/2010/08/21/samsung-galaxy-s-gets-stock-android-2-1/)
I apologize if I'm beating this to death but I think its pretty clear that our users, other sites, as well as Google itself (see the Engadget link) would consider "stock Android" as the unaltered version of Android that Google puts out for use.
That said, if I am still wrong please let me know and if the Android Enthusiasts community thinks differently then I'm down with whatever we all decide to do. :)
**Original Post Below:**
I think [stock-android](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/stock-android "show questions tagged 'stock-android'") is a great tag but I'm not sure I agree with the definition. I may be wrong but AOSP ROMs like CyanogenMod are considered "stock Android" and/or "vanilla Android" but obviously if you have this on your device it does not have the original ROM it shipped with.
Maybe a tag like [original-rom](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/original-rom "show questions tagged 'original-rom'") (maybe [stock-rom](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/stock-rom "show questions tagged 'stock-rom'") or something similar versus [custom-rom](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/custom-rom "show questions tagged 'custom-rom'")) would be helpful when asking for help with the ROM that shipped with a device. Although nearly every question would have one of those tags. The plus side to that though is it would help eliminate one of the first questions we usually ask "Are you using a custom ROM?"
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: I think a better definition for "stock" is a *manufacturer/carrier-blessed ROMs for a particular device*, including upgrades. I prefer to define it this way because some people may not realize that they have an upgraded ROM due to automatic OTA upgrades.
And "vanilla" are ROM which attempts to be *as close as possible to original AOSP ROMs* (e.g. by removing carrier/manufacturer customization and adding none of their own customization). A vanilla ROM may or may not be produced by a third-party.
In particular, only "Pure Google Experience" phones (e.g. G1, Nexus One, Nexus S), had a ROM that is both stock (comes with the device) and vanilla (no manufacturer/carrier customization).
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: I wonder if we need these tags at all.
People seem to be mostly using them to describe their devices, not to help categorize the question. That's the wrong use for them. Most of the time when I see tags like this or tags for devices, Android versions, or for a specific mod, the issue they're having has nothing to do with any of that. In fact, it makes things worse, because it will lead people to think that a solution that worked for someone's modded Galaxy S *won't* work for their unmodded Droid X and they'll ask a duplicate question.
But that's beyond the scope of what we're discussing.
I think "unmodified" should be the default position. I mean, unless someone specifies that they've used a mod, then it should be assumed they haven't.
And, unless it's a problem that has been solved by a mod, there's no need to mention that the device in question is not modified.
I suggest then that all three of the tags in question be removed. If there remain any questions where the unmodified state of the device is germane to the question, then "unmodified" makes a pretty unambiguous tag.
***Update***: I've looked at a few of the [stock-android](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/stock-android "show questions tagged 'stock-android'") and it's clear that we need to keep this tag or some variant. Many of the questions deal with returning a device to its unrooted, unmodified state. Some others are dealing with the standard Android UI (i.e., lacking HTC Sense, Moto BLUR, etc.). One of the latter, at least, I've tagged with [stock-ui](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/stock-ui "show questions tagged 'stock-ui'") (and to which I will add a description post haste).
So now I'm back-tracking on trying to eliminate the three tags originally brought up. When the question doesn't have anything to do with whether the phone is "stock" or not, they should still be removed. However, there are questions dealing with returning to "stock" or comparing the differences between "stock" and a mod or "stock" and manufacturer/carrier customizations. Those, I think, still need to have a tag of some sort.
Perhaps questions about returning the device to its state before it came out of the box should be "factory-setting" or "factory-state". That should unambiguously cover returning a phone to its original state.
Upvotes: 2 |
2011/03/28 | 404 | 1,703 | <issue_start>username_0: I have several small-ish questions about the viability of rooting a Nook Color for use as a general purpose tablet. I am considering getting one, and these are technical questions about the root process and operation of the NC that I'd like to find answers for before I make a decision. They are not "should I buy one" questions so I think they definitely fall outside the scope of a shopping recommendation. It's more research than anything else.
Would it be best to post them in one bullet-pointed question, or break them up? They're all pretty narrow in scope, so I'm a little on the fence. I found [this related question](https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/39223/one-post-with-multiple-questions-or-multiple-posts) on Meta SO, but I'm still not quite sure if it would make sense to have about 5 one- or two-line questions instead of one that's roughly half a page or so.<issue_comment>username_1: I think you ought to split each question up, that way it makes the process of choosing the correct answers easier.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: If you can make them distinct questions that don't really rely on each other, I'd post them separately. If the questions are naturally follow-ups to each other and may be irrelevant/different/etc. depending on how the other questions are answered, post them together.
If your question is really "How do I root the Nook Color?" or "How can I use the Nook Color as a general-purpose tablet?" and you just have specific concerns about each, I would probably post them together. I believe <NAME> has an NC that he's experimented with, and he could probably provide a good single answer.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer] |
2011/03/29 | 898 | 3,613 | <issue_start>username_0: So we've currently got tags for [Windows](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/windows), [Windows XP](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/windows-xp), [Mac](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/mac), [OSX](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/osx), [Linux](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/linux) & [Ubuntu](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/ubuntu).
That looks like three too many to me.
I don't see why as an Android site we'd care about the difference between WinXP and the rest of the desktop Windows family in a way that needs separate tags (we do have a Windows-Mobile tag as well, but as a mobile device OS that is a a special case, so I've left it out), similarly I don't see why we'd care about differences between Ubuntu and Linux in general. As for "Mac" and "OSX" they're essentially synonyms in common usage, I'd propose combining them into a "Mac-OSX" tag to make it easier to find.
---
**Update** have proposed some of these as synonyms (ubuntu as a synonym for linux and windows-xp as a synonym for windows), vote here: <https://android.stackexchange.com/tags/synonyms?filter=suggested&tab=newest>
I'd suggest that "mac" and "osx" need merging and renaming to "mac-osx" but I don't have the necessary mod powers for that, could someone else help here, please.<issue_comment>username_1: I tend to agree.
I haven't looked, but I'll wager that a good portion of those questions don't need the tag for the desktop OS anyway.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: If these tags are worth keeping, then the `Windows` and `Windows XP` tags should probably be kept separate. I know there was at least one question about the Galaxy S drivers for Windows 7 x64, which are different from the 32-bit XP drivers, for example. The one question tagged `Windows XP` involves driver issues, which might be specific to XP. There's another question about having a PC rebroadcast WiFi for a phone, which is Windows 7 specific.
**Edit:** I withdraw the below.
---
Personally, I *don't* think these tags have any value. Information about what OS you're using or a problem using a device connected to an OS should be in the question and stay out of the tags. Most of the time it's incidental information not useful for classification, and the rest of the time it's a classification that I don't think is needed.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Despite what I just said, on username_2's answer, I'd support merging "Ubuntu" and "Linux" -- if we aren't going to distinguish every single operating system by version (which sounds to me like crazy talk ... every Mac OS? Every Linux distro and release? Eeek.) there's no reason to break out Ubuntu from Linux.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: (Building on my comment on username_2's answer) Since there does seem to be some use to them I propose having tags: [windows](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/windows "show questions tagged 'windows'"), [linux](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/linux "show questions tagged 'linux'"), and [mac](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/mac "show questions tagged 'mac'"). That way if a user does have a question like syncing, drivers or whatever that does relate - those that have experience with whichever platform can view have it as a favorite or something. That said I'm not sure how much we really need them since very few questions should apply to these tags, but if we do then those are the three we should have.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer] |
2011/03/31 | 350 | 1,305 | <issue_start>username_0: I was preparing to ask a question and noticed that the tag prompt on main says
>
> at least one tag such as (2.1-eclair samsung-galaxy-s 2.3-gingerbread), max 5 tags
>
>
>
which means we're actively encouraging device and OS tags and is probably be giving new users the impression that the right thing to do is include the a device and OS tag with every post.
Is there a way to change that?<issue_comment>username_1: That list is generated at website startup by picking from the top 20 tags at random.
If you see things in the list you don't like, that's a *strong* sign that elements of the site's tagging are broken.
If you need us to press the magic "make it as if this tag never existed" button, just let me know.
Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Given Jeff's answer & response to my comment, and the fact that I can't see that any of our tag wikis currently ["Provide basic guidance on when to use the tag"](http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2011/03/redesigned-tags-page/) (though they do define what the tag means), I'd suggest we start with this.
The Device/OS tags are a great example - can we first define when it is appropriate/useful to apply these tags, add some guidance to the tag wikis and see if that makes any difference?
Upvotes: 2 |
2011/04/06 | 356 | 1,209 | <issue_start>username_0: Fairly self-explanatory, I think. I had the [Suffrage](https://android.stackexchange.com/badges/57/suffrage?userid=3522) badge from long ago and yesterday I used all 30 of my daily votes, but I don't see a x2 next to the badge on my user page.
Just curious.<issue_comment>username_1: I don't think so. I've used all my votes a few times and never got the badge again. This makes sense to me though. If I were creating the badge system, this badge would serve to encourage people to get into the habit of voting. The **Nice Answer** badge, however, would serve to recognize people for their good answers, and it makes sense to recognize all of them instead of only the first one.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: **No.**
From: [Mark which badges are capable of being won > 1 time](https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/7424/mark-which-badges-are-capable-of-being-won-1-time/39189#39189)
Badges that can be awarded more than once will say so in the description on the badge page, for example:
<https://meta.stackoverflow.com/badges/33/favorite-question>
>
> {blah blah blah badge description}. This badge can be awarded multiple times.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer] |
2011/04/06 | 1,595 | 5,888 | <issue_start>username_0: I've been looking at a lot of the device tags, and creating wikis for many of them. I tend to point to Wikipedia for phone specs because it's pretty comprehensive. The [HTC Desire](https://android.stackexchange.com/tags/htc-desire/info) page was somewhat confusing and I was curious about whether there are any synonyms floating around, so I [looked it up on Wikipedia](https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/HTC_Desire).
The text is pretty much a direct quote. Our tag wiki excerpt:
>
> The HTC Desire (codenamed Bravo) is a
> smartphone developed by the HTC
> Corporation, announced on 16 February
> 2010 and released in Europe and
> Australia in the second quarter of the
> same year. The HTC Desire currently
> runs the Android operating system,
> version 2.2 "Froyo, although it
> shipped with v2.1 (Eclair).
>
>
> Android, version 2.3 "Gingerbread"
> update expected in May or June 2011.
> Internally it bears a strong
> resemblance to the Nexus One, but
> differs in some features.
>
>
>
and the device's wikipedia page:
>
> The HTC Desire (codenamed Bravo)[2](https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/HTC_Desire) is
> a smartphone developed by the HTC
> Corporation, announced on 16 February
> 2010 and released in Europe and
> Australia in the second quarter of the
> same year. The HTC Desire runs the
> Android operating system, version 2.2
> "Froyo". Android, version 2.3
> "Gingerbread" update coming in May or
> June 2011. Internally it bears a
> strong resemblance to the Nexus One,
> but differs in some features.
>
>
>
It seems to me that the Wikipedia community is doing a pretty good job about maintaining comprehensive specs on Android devices and has higher standards for citing sources, etc, and we ought to just point to them rather than lifting a snapshot of Wikipedia's content without any commitment to maintaining our parallel page. At a minimum, though, plagiarizing Wikipedia is still plagiarism and a violation of the attribution terms of their license.<issue_comment>username_1: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Copyrights>
>
> Reusers' rights and obligations
> ===============================
>
>
> The only Wikipedia content you should contact the Wikimedia Foundation about is the trademarked Wikipedia/Wikimedia logos, which are not freely usable without permission ([...] see [Wikipedia:Contact us](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia%3aContact_us)). If you want to use other Wikipedia materials in your own books/articles/websites or other publications, you can do so, unless it is used under the non-free content provisions—but only in compliance with the licensing terms. Please follow the guidelines below:
>
>
> ### Re-use of text
>
>
>
> Attribution
>
> To re-distribute text on Wikipedia in any form, provide credit to the authors either by including a) a hyperlink (where possible) or URL to the page or pages you are re-using, b) a hyperlink (where possible) or URL to an alternative, stable online copy which is freely accessible, which conforms with the license, and which provides credit to the authors in a manner equivalent to the credit given on this website, or c) a list of all authors. (Any list of authors may be filtered to exclude very small or irrelevant contributions.) This applies to text developed by the Wikipedia community. Text from external sources may attach additional attribution requirements to the work, which should be indicated on an article's face or on its talk page. For example, a page may have a banner or other notation indicating that some or all of its content was originally published somewhere else. Where such notations are visible in the page itself, they should generally be preserved by re-users.
>
>
> ### Copyleft/Share Alike
>
>
> If you make modifications or additions to the page you re-use, you must license them under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0 or later.
>
>
>
> Indicate changes
>
> If you make modifications or additions, you must indicate in a reasonable fashion that the original work has been modified. If you are re-using the page in a wiki, for example, indicating this in the page history is sufficient.
>
>
>
> Licensing notice
>
> Each copy or modified version that you distribute must include a licensing notice stating that the work is released under CC-BY-SA and either a) a hyperlink or URL to the text of the license or b) a copy of the license. For this purpose, a suitable URL is: <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/>
> **For further information**, please refer to the [legal code of the CC-BY-SA License](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/legalcode).
>
>
>
In sum, we should link to the Wikipedia page and the CC-BY-SA licence. I am assuming that SE's licencing is sufficient for the copyleft requirement.
As for whether we *should* use Wikipedia, I think it's a great starting point if the wiki article is good. If users want to improve upon that, great! If not, it's much better than nothing. I wouldn't say they're doing a good job of providing accurate information, though. Most of it usually comes from some enthusiast when the device is announced and/or released, with errors and outdated information living on.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Per
<http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2011/03/redesigned-tags-page/>
>
> **Avoid generically defining the concept behind a tag, unless it is highly specialized.** The “email” tag, for example, does not need to explain what email is. I think we can safely assume most internet users know what email is; there’s no value in a boilerplate explanation of email to anyone.
>
>
>
Generally, you want to tailor the definitions to your community -- and also, critically, provide guidance on *when to use the tag*.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer] |
2011/04/07 | 305 | 1,062 | <issue_start>username_0: <http://blog.superuser.com/>
I think we could use a blog too.
**Edit:** I've also seen this: <http://blogoverflow.com/> but I'm not sure if this is authorized or not.<issue_comment>username_1: Pretty sure that it's official. See this thread on Android chat last week <http://chat.stackexchange.com/transcript/25?m=757179#757179> that links to the Community Blogs chat room <http://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/115/stack-exchange-community-blogs>
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Sure.
There are plenty of great topics for blog posts that can hopefully go far above and beyond being a mere reference answer for common questions
If this gets traction, coordinate with <EMAIL> and she can get a provisional blog set up.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: We now have a set a guidelines for Stack Exchange Community blogs, so make sure you check out [How are blogs created?](https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/91407/area-51-for-blogs/91509#91509) for details on getting one for this community.
Upvotes: 2 |
2011/04/07 | 762 | 3,047 | <issue_start>username_0: I realize (now) that the site design was a community process, and this feedback may not be desired or appropriate, but, well, here it is. Vote to close if and as necessary...
I find myself not participating in Android Enthusiasts simply because of the new theme. It's been a couple of weeks now and instead of going away my feeling are intensifying. I almost don't know how to put what I don't like about the design into words, but I realize I have to at least try. The whole design is too...light? Bright? Monotonous/monolithic? All of which combines to create an almost literal blur. The beta design had non-subtle (but still non-obtrusive) color, the questions were easily distinguishable, questions with tags I like were well-highlighted. Different elements had texture or edges or were otherwise easily distinguishable from the background. The new theme is just too...subtle? All-encompassing? Overwhelming?
I open the site each day (via the Firefox Morning Coffee extension), and have participated daily since I joined 6 months ago. The last two weeks...more often than not, I simply close the window. I hope I'm the only one feeling this, but in case I'm not, I felt I should post it.
I know how much work a cohesive site design involves, and I in no way wish to denigrate the work that went into this site design. Tastes and styles are highly subjective things, and I don't expect to be liking everything I see on this great net of ours. The result of this design though is almost physically pushing me away and I just wanted to give feedback in case others were feeling anything similar.
Thanks for listening!<issue_comment>username_1: Is the complaint simply that the site is too monochrome?
I guess I could see that.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: You might be interested in [MinimalOverflow](https://stackapps.com/questions/2143/minimaloverflow-a-themescript-for-stackexchange), a userscript that essentially unthemes any SE site. Here's what it looks like applied to this site:
[Screenshot of MinimalOverflow applied to Android http://so.mrozekma.com/android-minimal.png](http://so.mrozekma.com/android-minimal.png)
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: IMO, the current design is the most beautiful among many SE sites. It's prettier than SO, PSE, PMSE, and English Language. I like the header and the background and I think the border around the client area is nice idea.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: I *really* like the design - very clean & elegant.
It does occasionally feel a little bit washed out / monochrome however. I'm sure there are specific elements that could be a bit darker or more colourful without changing the overall elegant feel.
**I think the most constructive thing to do would be to try and identify specific elements like this**, as GAThrawn did [here](https://android.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/483/post-question-buttons-look-disabled). A few more little accents and highlights like this and I'm sure it would all click together beautifully!
Upvotes: 0 |
2011/04/07 | 451 | 1,589 | <issue_start>username_0: When I view [this answer](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/4015/sync-picasa-web-albums-option-not-there/5260#5260), the upvote and downvote buttons are not highlighted, which seems to indicate that I have not voted on it. However, when I try to vote it doesn't let me, saying I last voted 23 hours ago.
I believe I **tried** to vote on this answer yesterday, but had already used all my votes for the day. So my guess is that an answer's votes and the answers-I-have-voted-on are tracked distinctly, and the code is preventing my "extra" vote from being added to the answer's votes but not preventing it from being added to answers-I-have-voted-on.
**Edit:** As per Al's answer below, this is apparently by design but meant to be applied to a different situation. What's the rationale for applying this to votes in excess of the daily limit? (Seems like a tiny bit of laziness ...)
**Edit 2:** I was just able to upvote the answer linked above. What's going on?<issue_comment>username_1: I do know that if you vote on a post, then immediately retract your vote, you won't later be able to vote on it. This is apparently by design.
I expect this is the same situation, although you didn't retract your vote voluntarily, but were forced to by the vote limit.
You won't be able to vote on it until it's edited.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: We changed how you're able to [recast a vote from a neutral state](https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/18360/vote-too-old-to-be-changed-but-i-havent-voted/18373#18373).
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer] |
2011/04/15 | 485 | 1,832 | <issue_start>username_0: We're evaluating the feasibility of **sponsoring a member of the Android community to speak at a conference in 2011**.
Speaking is a relatively big "ask", so this needs to be planned many months in advance. Let's get started!
We'd like the community to establish **where** ...
>
> What relevant Android conferences are coming up in 2011 that have open speaker slots or calls for papers?
>
>
>
... and then **who**.
>
> Which members of the community are strongly interested in being sponsored by Stack Exchange, Inc to speak at one of the above conferences in 2011?
>
>
>
To be clear, the speaker is free talk about anything he or she wants so long as it would be roughly on topic for this site -- with a quick acknowledgement of support from Stack Exchange and a mention of the community here.<issue_comment>username_1: I spoke at [Andevcon](http://andevcon.com/) in March. The event was packed and lots of interested people, including more than a few names I recognize from StackOverflow. It was a bit disorganized, but for a first effort, it was good. They are having another event in November 2011 in the Bay Area.
BTW, I'm **not** campaigning to be the speaker, just pointing out the possible venue.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I think a big issue is going to be finding relevant conferences. Google IO sold out in a ridiculously short time, plus I'm pretty sure they don't put out a call for speakers. AnDevCon was OK, but I was pretty disappointed in it as an advanced Android user/developer. Might need to look to some more general conferences such as [MADExpo](http://madexpo.us/register) which I saw advertised on MSDN.
After a conference is found, finding a speaker shouldn't be a problem: there are plenty of Android fans and developers with plenty to say.
Upvotes: 2 |
2011/04/18 | 833 | 3,326 | <issue_start>username_0: The "Ask a Question" page currently has the following notice on the right side near the question box:
>
> How to Ask
>
>
> **Is your question about Android?**
>
>
> We prefer questions that can be
> answered, not just discussed.
>
>
> Provide details. Share your research.
>
>
> If your question is about this
> website, ask it on meta instead.
>
>
> read the faq »
>
>
>
Being that there's a seemingly nontrivial number of development questions asked here which are summarily migrated, I think it would be helpful to have another heading in the dialog. My thought is that it would go below the current one, but above the `read the faq >>` link, and would say something like the following:
>
> **Is your question about developing Android apps?**
>
>
> If so, please ask it on [Stackoverflow](http://stackoverflow.com),
> and add the [android](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/tagged/android) tag.
>
>
>
I don't know if this would help, but it would make the off-topic nature of dev questions a bit more visible. Currently we rely on the fact that people will read the FAQ, which (from what I've seen), new users often don't do. Other than the FAQ, there's no real indication that AE is for users rather than development. "Enthusiasts and power users" is how the site is described in the banner, but I see both of them as being a little fuzzy.
Thoughts? Comments? Witty sayings?
**Edit:** Any other feedback on this? I still think this is a good idea (shameless bump in a way, but I guess you can't set bounties on child Meta sites). I know this won't solve the problem completely but the extra exposure seems like it couldn't hurt.<issue_comment>username_1: StackOverflow is for programmers' question only, but developing not only programming.
I think **developing** should be change to ***programming***.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_2: First, we apologize for the embarrassingly long time that it took for an official reply to this. We do, in fact, make a point of reviewing feature requests on all sites weekly and escalating ones that we think are good ideas and easily implemented to the developers. Please don't think your request fell on deaf ears.
While this looks like it would be something that would be relatively easily done, it's actually not.The site specific text in the sidebar does come from the database, but only the 'Android' part.
To implement this, we'd either have to make *just* your page different from the rest of the network (not good), or there would have to be an additional site setting and content area which would mean rolling out a change to every site on the network.
I did look at your closed and deleted questions when I discussed this with the rest of the team and you *do* get your fair share of off topic programming questions. However, we really doubt that the additional text would slow them down. The thing is, frankly, when people ask a question prior to even looking around, they generally *don't read* beyond what they must in order to ask.
If it were clear that this *would* put a major dent in the noise, we'd probably consider it more, we understand how annoying noise like that can be. We just don't think this would make enough of a difference to warrant the work it would take.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer] |
2011/04/28 | 932 | 3,666 | <issue_start>username_0: I've been seeing a lot of questions lately asking for apps that do x or y, and so I read the main site's FAQ again and noticed that it's not explicitly stated that asking for app recommendations is off-topic.
Was this changed recently? Was it ever officially a rule?<issue_comment>username_1: I believe the standing rule is to not ask: "What is the best application that does X?"
Instead you should ask "How can I do X?"
In other words, it needs to be a solvable problem. App recommendations (what is the best app) are very subjective and there is no definite answer.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: **background**
I've had my question (http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/31918/how-can-i-sort-filter-and-tag-files-images-in-android-ics-4-0) closed until I rephrased it from "which app should i use to do X" to "how can I do X".
As I pointed out in the comments there, the question itself didnt change one bit - just the choice of words. Still, one of the versions is valid, the other is not. Why not?
As can be seen in the edit history, the first version of my question was not a popularity poll. I did not ask for the best app to do something, I asked for any app that could do it.
Now, in my opinion, either a question is valid, or its not, but it should not have anything to do with the wording. If the question was potentially helpful for others, answerable and not subjective, why close it? Is "you can hammer a nail with a hammer" subjective?
**argumentation**
I could have argued that my question was good, but i couldnt have argued about it being not-in-line with the FAQ (as it currently stands), so I edited it. But I would like to hold my point - that question was OK in its first version too!
What I want to say is, "how to do X" and "with what should I do X" are basically the same. So maybe we shouldnt close the second type just because of the wording? Both questions WILL attract exactly the same answers! Maybe the proper action would be just to edit the qeustion for the more desirable wording, instead of flagging and closing?
Actually, the "whats the best tool/app to do X" is also valid. Those questions are answerable, and those answers are as subjective as any other! What do I mean? When I ask "whats the best tool to hammer nails" the obvious answer is "a hammer". Its not subjective, right? Still, there will be people, who arent really experienced with hammers, and they have been using big rocks to hammer nails, and they will recommend rocks. Its doable, but not optimal. Such answers would be downvoted, the "hammer" answer would be upvoted. We end up in the same situation, in which we would end up with a "how do I hammer nails?". Those questions are the same!
I know that in some more complex cases, there will be many equally valid answers to the same "whats the best" question. Example? "Whats the best app to draw on a PC with a graphics tablet?" Some would say its Photoshop, others would say GIMP, someone will say its Inkscape. But that usually means that the question is just not specific enough. If the costs are a big issue, then GIMP will be superior to photoshop, and that will not be subjective. If youre interested in doing mostly vector graphics (which is not specified in the original question) then Inkscape will be better than GIMP.
**summary**
In my opinion, the ban for "whats the best app/what app should I use to do X" should be removed from the FAQ, or perhaps replaced with a suggestion of the preferred wordings. (How instead of with what). Questions that are against this ban should be simply edited, instead of being closed.
Upvotes: 2 |
2011/05/05 | 976 | 3,849 | <issue_start>username_0: Maybe this is a dumb question, but it's not immediately obvious to me. Here or on any SOFU site. Where is the community wiki? I see people mention it and there's even a little check box to put something as community wiki, but where is it? I don't see any obvious links and none of the FAQs seem to point this out. Is it hidden in plain sight? Is community wiki a name for some other thing but it's just called that for some historical reason?
thanks<issue_comment>username_1: I believe the standing rule is to not ask: "What is the best application that does X?"
Instead you should ask "How can I do X?"
In other words, it needs to be a solvable problem. App recommendations (what is the best app) are very subjective and there is no definite answer.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: **background**
I've had my question (http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/31918/how-can-i-sort-filter-and-tag-files-images-in-android-ics-4-0) closed until I rephrased it from "which app should i use to do X" to "how can I do X".
As I pointed out in the comments there, the question itself didnt change one bit - just the choice of words. Still, one of the versions is valid, the other is not. Why not?
As can be seen in the edit history, the first version of my question was not a popularity poll. I did not ask for the best app to do something, I asked for any app that could do it.
Now, in my opinion, either a question is valid, or its not, but it should not have anything to do with the wording. If the question was potentially helpful for others, answerable and not subjective, why close it? Is "you can hammer a nail with a hammer" subjective?
**argumentation**
I could have argued that my question was good, but i couldnt have argued about it being not-in-line with the FAQ (as it currently stands), so I edited it. But I would like to hold my point - that question was OK in its first version too!
What I want to say is, "how to do X" and "with what should I do X" are basically the same. So maybe we shouldnt close the second type just because of the wording? Both questions WILL attract exactly the same answers! Maybe the proper action would be just to edit the qeustion for the more desirable wording, instead of flagging and closing?
Actually, the "whats the best tool/app to do X" is also valid. Those questions are answerable, and those answers are as subjective as any other! What do I mean? When I ask "whats the best tool to hammer nails" the obvious answer is "a hammer". Its not subjective, right? Still, there will be people, who arent really experienced with hammers, and they have been using big rocks to hammer nails, and they will recommend rocks. Its doable, but not optimal. Such answers would be downvoted, the "hammer" answer would be upvoted. We end up in the same situation, in which we would end up with a "how do I hammer nails?". Those questions are the same!
I know that in some more complex cases, there will be many equally valid answers to the same "whats the best" question. Example? "Whats the best app to draw on a PC with a graphics tablet?" Some would say its Photoshop, others would say GIMP, someone will say its Inkscape. But that usually means that the question is just not specific enough. If the costs are a big issue, then GIMP will be superior to photoshop, and that will not be subjective. If youre interested in doing mostly vector graphics (which is not specified in the original question) then Inkscape will be better than GIMP.
**summary**
In my opinion, the ban for "whats the best app/what app should I use to do X" should be removed from the FAQ, or perhaps replaced with a suggestion of the preferred wordings. (How instead of with what). Questions that are against this ban should be simply edited, instead of being closed.
Upvotes: 2 |
2011/05/11 | 185 | 774 | <issue_start>username_0: It has come to my attention that we have questions tagged [india](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/india "show questions tagged 'india'"). Why do we need this tag?<issue_comment>username_1: It looks like the earliest questions tagged are about India and Indian phone/network specific issues (regardless of whether they've been closed). In this case the tags do help scope down answers and answerers.
The two questions tagged India this week had nothing country specific in them, and could apply equally to anyone in any country. I've removed the "India" tag from those questions.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: We don't have any other country-specific tags. I don't think this one is necessary.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer] |
2011/05/13 | 507 | 2,084 | <issue_start>username_0: In much the same way we can star questions that we want to keep track of is there a way (or can one be implemented) that allows us to star other users?
I imagine it being used in cases where one person really goes above and beyond in answering a question and the asker wants to mark the answerer (real word?) for easy recognition later.<issue_comment>username_1: I think the idea of StackExchange sites is that you should be voting on the answer of its own merits, not on the merits of who posted it.
Easily following a user would more open up the system for "gaming" where people follow their friend|enemies and upvote|downvote.
This *is* possible by going into a user's profile and looking at their questions and answers, but it isn't quite as exposed.
But people do come with baggage -- we are more inclined to view the answer from a person with 12.6K rep as more authoritative than from somebody with 126 rep. Even though the latter might have given a better answer. But the goal is to vote answers for their own merits.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: To add to what <NAME>. said: if you're really interested in a particular user's activity you can always subscribe to his/her user rss feed. The link is found on the user profile page, in the lower right corner.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: Here's something I've seen more times than I care to think about: a user with a history of posting well-researched, well-written answers drops into a question and posts something lousy, inaccurate, hastily-written, unhelpful or just plain *wrong*.
Everyone has their off-days and blind spots, and past performance is no guarantee of future results. Apart from the *rare* instances where someone answers a question on a subject where they *are the last word* (say <NAME> shows up to answer a Cyanogen question or something), it's usually a bad idea to blindly trust someone's answer simply because they've given you good answers in the past.
So this is not likely to ever be implemented on any SE site.
Upvotes: 3 |
2011/06/07 | 536 | 1,941 | <issue_start>username_0: Google just rolled out it's +1 feature across the web, and it got me thinking that using it on SE sites could be a great way to further promote great questions since the more a site or page gets +1 clicks the higher it appears in Google's search results.
Good idea? Bad idea? Redundant idea?
Discuss.<issue_comment>username_1: Well, I've installed it on my own site.
I've also got the Chrome extension to be able to use it anywhere.
I think it could easily go with the Facebook and Twitter links we have already.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I'll never use +1, just like I never use StumbleUpon or the Facebook "likes". That said, other people will. I see no reason not too, really. Even if it dies in the future, it's probably not much work to integrate it (the SE people or Al can correct me on this if I'm wrong).
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: >
> Since the more a site or page gets +1 clicks the higher it appears in Google's search results
>
>
>
Er.. this isn't true, and if it was there would be, as Robocop once said, "problems".
These +1s are intimately tied to Social Search, that is, if Google knows who you are and your friend network, those results might be escalated *for you only*:
<http://www.google.com/support/websearch/bin/answer.py?answer=1067707>
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: I'm all for it. In fact, I;d say add more sites like Reddit / Ping.fm etc. The more a question / solution can be shared or publicised, the better it is, IMO.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: I definitely vote yes. G+ is growing rapidly, and the community is strongly tied to this one, many G+ users being Google enthusiasts already, and many having strong ties to Android as well. I think it'd be a good idea to jump on this boat early.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: Though I'm also not the kind of guy to "Like" or +1 sth, I'd +1 the idea of integrating +1.
Upvotes: 2 |
2011/06/16 | 562 | 2,012 | <issue_start>username_0: I marked [this question](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/10484/any-good-music-player-with-lyrics-eq-and-more) as off-topic and was overridden by Al as indicated in the comments.
I'm not questioning his decision as a mod at all (Al and I are totally cool! I swear! lol :-D), but I think the FAQ could use a bit of clarification when it comes to off-topic posts. As it stands it's actually pretty vague as far as providing examples:
>
> * every answer is equally valid: “What’s your favorite \_\_\_\_\_\_?”
> * your answer is provided along with the question, and you expect more answers: “I use \_\_\_\_\_\_ for \_\_\_\_\_\_, what do you use?”
> * there is no actual problem to be solved: “I’m curious if other
> people feel like I do.”
> * we are being asked an open-ended, hypothetical question: “What if \_\_\_\_\_\_ happened?”
> * it is a rant disguised as a question: “\_\_\_\_\_\_ sucks, am I right?”
>
>
>
Actually, now that I'm rereading the FAQ it seems like this is the generic FAQ that every SE site gets during beta. Perhaps it's time to start getting more specific in the areas that call for it?<issue_comment>username_1: This is a bit borderline, but it is extremely *specific* --
* I need a music app that has these *specific* features (list)
* I searched for such an app and could not find one
* can be free or paid if necessary
The specific-ness makes it allowable IMO. I don't think any of the /faq section you quoted is applicable in this case. The first line tells:
>
> You should only ask practical, answerable questions based on actual problems that you face.
>
>
>
This is practical, answerable, and is based on the user's specific needs without being absurdly specific.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: For the answer to this question:
>
> Should the FAQ section on off-topic questions be clarified?
>
>
>
I vote yes. There has been quite a few important Meta decisions that are not yet incorporated into the FAQ.
Upvotes: 2 |
2011/06/29 | 195 | 782 | <issue_start>username_0: With the release of [Android x86](http://www.android-x86.org/) available for running the Android OS on a PC, will we be accepting questions that pertain to this?<issue_comment>username_1: Considering there are already a few [android-x86](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/android-x86 "show questions tagged 'android-x86'") questions, I'd say yes.
A difficulty here is that there's likely to be overlap with [Super User](http://superuser.com). Issues that are Android-specific will be on-topic. People having trouble with installation because of their underlying hardware may not.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: As long as they are Android oriented questions, then I have no problem with them being here.
Upvotes: 3 |
2011/07/21 | 575 | 2,270 | <issue_start>username_0: This question is directly related to my answer to a question on the main site: [Mobile to PC skype video chat?](https://android.stackexchange.com/q/11593/981)
The timeline for the sake of relevancy: The questioner was looking for a way to make a Skype video call from his phone (EVO, not supported by Skype's video feature) to a computer. I saw a thread on XDA which was discussing the idea with the rather vague title of "Skype with Video", and I left a comment containing a link to that thread. As it turns out, there is a Skype .apk in that XDA thread which has been modified to allow video calls on unsupported phones. The link to said .apk has been subsequently [edited into my answer](https://android.stackexchange.com/revisions/11596/2).
My concern: In the United States, the modified .apk is almost certainly a copyright violation under DMCA law. It may also fall under international laws, but I'm not really sure (I also will not comment on other countries as I am not familiar enough with their laws). Being that both Skype and Stack Exchange are based in the US, I'm not sure that international law would really fall into play anyhow.
The edit which includes the link was added, then rolled back (by <NAME>), then added again. Since there seems to be something of a gray area here, I wanted to explicitly pose this question: Where do we stand on modified .apk files? For that matter, does anyone know where the *law* stands on these files? Patching the file presumably required decompilation of the .apk, which is why I believe it would constitute a copyright violation in countries with DMCA-like laws.
Related Meta question: [Policy on linking to questionable/illegal/warez download sites](https://android.meta.stackexchange.com/q/278/981)<issue_comment>username_1: It might be good idea to link to the thread, instead of directly to the file.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: r/android on reddit has a strong [no-piracy rule](http://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/ioqcb/randroid_piracy_policy/), we should follow the same.
As far as I know, this includes modified binaries. A good example of this would be XDA banning modified versions of Swype (because Swype is proprietary software).
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer] |
2011/08/02 | 459 | 1,726 | <issue_start>username_0: The beta is over, and Android.SE is a full-fledged member of The Stack Exchange network. By rights, you should be *electing* moderators, but instead the site is still moderated by [**Moderators Pro Tempore**](http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2010/07/moderator-pro-tempore/). This is... somewhat unfortunate. We'd really *like* to hold elections, but... There aren't quite enough users with high reputation to pull it off just yet. We'll talk more about this later...
Fortunately, we do have some very dedicated users who've volunteered their time to do *[the pro tem thing](https://android.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/161/moderator-pro-tem-announcement)* until we've ironed out the election thing. So I am pleased to announce that a new member has stepped up and generously volunteered his time to help us assure that this community’s issues are properly addressed:
[](https://android.stackexchange.com/users/1465/matthew-read)
...joins [the existing pro tem mods](https://android.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/161/moderator-pro-tem-announcement). We want to make this site a huge success, and these members are great examples of exactly the type of people we need to make this site succeed. Please welcome them for the hard work and time they contribute.<issue_comment>username_1: Awesome! Welcome to the team Matthew!
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Congrats Matthew! Glad to have you working with us!
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Thanks all, I'm glad to be able to contribute further to this site!
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: Congrats Matthew. Looking forward to your participation!
Upvotes: 2 |
2011/08/02 | 450 | 1,888 | <issue_start>username_0: Moderators, serious Stackers and casual users,
Within the coming weeks, we here at Stack Central will be putting a little bit of effort into promoting the Android site. We're hoping to get you involved.
Please chime in with any ideas -- from traditional (banner ads, giveaways, forum outreach, etc.) to off-the-wall (Can we get an ape to take a self-portrait with the new HTC?).
What do you think will help grow Android.SE into a bigger and better site?
All input is welcome.
We look forward to hearing from you!<issue_comment>username_1: Gaming has gotten great traffic via asking users who get a new game to post as many questions as they can. This provides the benefits of seeding (more questions) without the drawbacks (crappy, contrived questions) since the questions are intended to be about actual problems the gamers encounter. It's simply prompting them to ask the question on Gaming rather than trying to solve the problem on their own. Having so many questions about the game on the day of release and thereafter means that Gaming gets a huge chunk of the search traffic for the game.
We could try a similar thing when Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) is released. Everyone with a flagship device could upgrade immediately and start asking questions, as could anyone who gets a new device with the OS. Probably it won't work as well as on Gaming, but it's sure to be better than nothing.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: My best guess would be banner ads on other common Android support sites; AndroidForums, XDA, Android Central, stuff like that. As far as users already on the site, you could to exclusive badges or special reputation-rewards for creative things.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Contests/giveaways are typically what other Android blogs/sites/forums do to try and get more users. Might be worth a shot.
Upvotes: 2 |
2011/08/15 | 2,399 | 9,256 | <issue_start>username_0: I touched on this before, briefly, in [Matt's Moderator Pro Tempore announcement...](https://android.meta.stackexchange.com/q/559/3812)
This is a great site, but it's... got no middle class. There are only a tiny handful of users with more than 2K reputation points on the site! That's *bad news* for a healthy community: most of the tools for editing, closing, review are out of reach for most folk.
You have a few high-rep users, and some moderators, and a *huge* mass of low-rep users... But there's no middle class, no healthy population of shopkeepers minding their tags.
Obviously, y'all need to be voting - early and often. But I don't think that's the only or even the best solution... At some point, we need to get more users coming back regularly, feeding back into the site.
I see [Sam has a "promotional" thread going here](https://android.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/562/site-promotion-ideas) - that's a good start. If you haven't already chimed in there, please do so! Anything we can do to help you guys reach more people is a good start...
But beyond that, as an active user of the site, what have you observed standing in the way of users reaching that middle rung?<issue_comment>username_1: I think part of it is the type of user we attract, for whatever reason. Most people seem to come looking for a quick fix to a problem and then leave. Like I've said before, I've seen the same problem on XDA. Lots of users who take a little and give nothing.
I do wonder if that's just how users break down across the Android platform itself -- hardcore early adopters, and then a bunch of people for whom it's just a phone. Not a ton of power users who aren't experts. If that's the case, it will take extra effort to bring in a disproportionate number of those users until the platform matures and we get those users naturally.
I've also seen several users get excited for a week or so, answering a bunch of questions ... and then leaving, before really reaching the middle-class you speak of. I'm pretty confused as to why that happens.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: A few projects in the works that may remediate some of these concerns:
* Improving the algorithm that controls the [official Twitter account](http://twitter.com/#!/StackAndroid) so that it brings better content and value to followers.
* Building relationships with mobile & Android blogs for upcoming collaborations (You will soon see an ad for [Android Guys](http://www.androidguys.com/) in the sidebar + an upcoming program that will "port" over our [Android release calendar wiki](https://android.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/570/android-release-calendar-2011-2012) to Android Guys and other outside sites - Please let me know if you know someone else who wants to host this release calendar).
* Contests! - This relates to both bullets above. Expect a giveaway in the near future executed through Twitter/Facebook in collaboration with an outside Android and/or mobile site.
Any other ideas? Further questions?
Also, does anyone have a connection at a major Android manufacturer who can help me get a hold of a Thrill, Bionic, Vigor or Galaxy S II?
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: I guess I fall into the "middle class" type of user (at the moment). I like to think I'm being generally helpful and contributing, but there's definitely a large, empty gap in the middle rep ranges which I've wondered about for a while. I'm going to go ahead and throw out a couple of things I've personally observed which have a negative impact on the number of available answerable questions. I don't claim any kind of statistical backing to any of this, mind you:
* A lot of people legitimately don't know what this site is for. We get development questions regularly, and some users have even seemed [completely perplexed](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/12225/kernel-programming-on-android) when their questions were summarily closed. This makes me wonder if there are "power users" out there who *aren't* using Android Enthusiasts because they think it's for Android devs.
* We get a lot of duplicate questions masquerading as legitimate ones. Everyone operates under the assumption that their particular phone model is a special snowflake, so there are repeat questions with the only difference being the device(s) involved. This gets out of hand pretty quick and people lose interest in answering them. As an example, [there](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/43/how-do-i-share-my-wifi-with-my-ipod-or-netbook) [are](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/1005/activating-wifi-hotspot-tethering-on-a-verizon-droid-with-froyo-2-2) [quite](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/1005/activating-wifi-hotspot-tethering-on-a-verizon-droid-with-froyo-2-2) [a few](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/6240/2-1-as-a-secure-access-point) [tethering](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/1962/how-to-enable-wifi-access-point-hotspot-on-my-moto-droid-2-2-without-editing) [questions](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/7105/wifi-tethering-unavailable-htc-magic) [here](https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/3078/how-can-i-enable-the-wifi-hotspot-capability-on-my-moto-droid-1-without-using-adh).
* We sometimes get questions that are totally obscure, either because people are trying to do really crazy things with their device (someone was asking about setting up a Ruby development environment the other day) or they're trying to use some really obscure app that nobody else has heard of. These generally don't get any answers, or just get poor ones.
* I personally think we get a rather unfortunate amount of just plain bad questions. Usually things of the nature "My phone's `[feature]` isn't working. How can I fix it?" with no symptoms or other details. These are pretty much the same as the bad questions SO gets, but it's really impossible to guess what's happening here, whereas on SO you can often take an educated guess based on past experiences or common programming mistakes. Comments are left on said questions, but the posters very rarely follow up on them. We also seem to attract subjective "Which phone should I buy?" or "What's the best app for X?" questions, which dilute the good content.
* People aren't voting as much as they were in the beta. I have no hard evidence for this, but I will say that I feel like I see a lot more questions and answers that are good and useful but only sitting at +1 (or even 0). I'm not excluding myself from this, either, and I'm trying to vote more (though I've been gone recently). Obviously this has a negative impact on the growth of any potential "middle class".
* I agree with username_1: We get a fair number of users who just use this site as tech support and then never come back. It's convenient, it says "Android" in the title, and it's got the adorable green robots. It certainly seems like as good a place as any to dump a quick "help me plz" question.
That said, I also think that it's somewhat hard to attract real power users to a Q&A site like this. Now I'm not saying we can't or that we should give up because I really enjoy having Android Enthusiasts around, but the nature of the beast is that much of what happens on e.g. XDA is very discussion based. There's a lot of trial and error, people experimenting with things and almost bricking their phones then collaborating on solutions, and developers putting out bleeding-edge stuff for others to test and give feedback on. We just can't cater to that here, and I think it does affect our userbase to some extent. Is it necessarily a bad thing? No, I don't think so. I'm personally glad to be able to come here when I have a question so that I can ask it without it getting lost in a sea of discussion and just get answers. I do think that it's a little bit of a handicap, though.
That turned out to be a bit more lengthy than I intended, but that's my $0.02.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_1: I've thought about this some more, and I think we had a bit of a shift after the site went public. Though I won't point them out, there were a few highly active users I can think of who largely disappeared after that.
I'm not sure why that happened, but I do wonder if it's related to the rep requirements suddenly doubling. I was about to hit 10k rep then (Trusted User) and it was a bit of a shock when I realized I was going to have to duplicate my entire performance so far just in order to get back where I was before, since now Trusted User is 20k rep.
That must have been immensely discouraging for some users. Maybe now we're just waiting for new users to come up and fill the middle tier that was suddenly vacated by the change in rep requirements?
I'm not sure it makes sense to have the same rep requirements as a huge site like SO either. I would happily trust GAThrawn or username_3, for example, with the 10k tools. Their work flagging and close-voting is immensely useful and they have great judgment. We don't require mods to have 20k rep before making them mods, right? I'm the only one over 20k and I just got there recently!
Maybe we already have a middle class, and we're just not making effective use of them.
Upvotes: 3 |