Tavern on the Meta

Josh

5:04 PM

@Diago Good luck :-) We'll all be quiet as to not draw attention to you

right guys? ;-)

Fosco

@PopularDemand any news on your contest? I haven't seen chacha in a few days..

Josh

@PopularDemand Yeah who's winning? :-)

er

Popular Demand

@Fosco You said it; no news 'til Chacha returns.

Unless @Diago wants to make it an honorable mention category in the SU anniversary contest.

But then he'd have to include my second contest for completeness, and that's not in the cards.

yesterday, by Popular Demand

So @Fosco even though you left, here's your new contest: come up with a better term than "Accept Rate Police."

@Fosco, ref:

4

A: What's an "answer" in Stack Overflow culture?

Welcome to Meta, Peter! It's perfectly normal to have <100% accept rate. There are, to oversimplify a bit, two cases here: the first is you, based on this question and your SO profile; the second is the guy who asks dozens of questions — often low-quality — and maintains a 0% acc...

I need to go make lunch while I wait for my team lead to send out the next assignment.

Diago

I'll speak to management and see what they say. If they don't use their vote to close powers it could be done :)

I am installing Ubuntu Netbook Remix on my Netbook. Wish me luck.

(I am so going to need it)

Josh

@Diago let me know how it goes, I am considering that

for a dying laptop, maybe netbook remix will be lightweight enough the laptop won't crash every 10 minutes

Popular Demand

5:17 PM

Ugh, Linux.

badp

To be honest I think the main focus of the netbook remix features are on usability, rather than lightweightness

Popular Demand

I've never been able to get any distro to work with a wireless card, which is kind of a dealbreaker.

badp

@PopularDemand Obviously it's the wireless card make's fault!

Fosco

@PopularDemand If I could, I would close the new contest as too localized. :)

Popular Demand

@badp Oh, I know. But you go to war with the troops you have.

@Fosco Very well. close (1)

Fosco

5:20 PM

@PopularDemand All I can come up with is: (Acceptance/Checkmark/Percentage) Nazis

Diago

@Josh I've loaded it before and it's not too bad. But I am bored with my Netbook and only really want something to stream video with

Fosco

Did you guys see the Ubuntu Windows 7 Theme?

Popular Demand

@Fosco -1 for voting to close and then posting an answer.

Fosco

redmondpie.com/…

devinb

@PopularDemand I do that all the time.

Fosco

5:22 PM

@PopularDemand -1 in retaliation.

Popular Demand

@devinb Why?

badp

To be honest when I close and answer it's more for sympathy to the asker, who still needs an answer even though he did not correctly fill in all the forms

Diago

To quote one of the SU users. Just in case it doesn't get closed.

It's actually on Meta somewhere.

Popular Demand

@devinb, never mind.

I'm reading your MSO answer now.

@badp I use comments for this.

@Diago Irrelevant. If you're voting to close, you believe that it shouldn't get more answers.

Diago

I still can't decide if retags should or shouldn't bump questions to the home page.

@PopularDemand I agree. 100%.

badp

5:24 PM

@PopularDemand You use comments to answer? Bad guy! :P

Popular Demand

@Diago Yes. Otherwise old questiosn will end up tagged [hahahaha-butts-lol]

Diago

@badp Visit SU. It's common practice. I have closed so many questions only to come back and find 10 answers in comments.

Makes the whole closing process a waste of time sometimes.

Popular Demand

@badp Not real answers. Just quick links mostly.

I let them read the dupe for full answers.

Diago

@PopularDemand I get that. But sometimes it ends up pushing new stuff to far down.

badp

@PopularDemand Quick and dirty answers are still answers :P

Oh, I don't do that for dupes.

Popular Demand

5:25 PM

But I don't want them to leave the SE sites forever in frustration/anger.

badp

Dupes, if dupes, are dupes. (Some dupes are less dupes than other dupes).

Diago

SO has grown so big that losing users are really the least of the problems.

Right. I just installed Ubuntu to my HDD. Now it's asking me if I want to continue testing or gasp restart? WTF? I loaded it already, get on with it!

Popular Demand

@Diago Hmm... I just started considering "retags should have a 50% chance of being bumped." But I don't know if that's the best of both worlds or the worst of both worlds.

I suppose you couldn't retag vandalistically for more than one question -- on average -- without getting caught.

Diago

@PopularDemand Worst. I think. The way it is does prevent damage more.

Popular Demand

I wonder how many tags there are that are only used on one or two questions.

Diago

5:28 PM

Actually I think there is a report for that. I must go check

George Marian

Gah...I so hate track pads...

Popular Demand

@devinb I'm on board with your use case but it doesn't apply here.

Time to award my bounty.

5

Q: What sites should have hyperlinking (onebox) support in chat?

Some sites are integrated to chat . What additional sites should the chat support? One suggestion per answer.

No love for @badp:

0

A: What sites should have hyperlinking (onebox) support in chat?

http://www.sadtrombone.com/ (Originally suggested in the chat by @badp)

badp

My other answers have upvotes, @PopularDemand :)

devinb

@PopularDemand Sorry, I stepped out. I'll have to go back and read that answer myself.

Popular Demand

Wow, no input on what to give the bounty to? I'm shocked.

badp

5:36 PM

I thought it would be a matter of personal preference

Diago

I so do appreciate users posting meta questions as CW. So much easier to downvote

Popular Demand

@badp When has that ever stopped anyone from tossing in $0.02?

Diago

@PopularDemand I have input as to who to down vote into oblivion if that would help?

devinb

@Diago I cherish losing one point. I want them to feel it.

badp

@PopularDemand Dunno, it's your $REP reputation

Popular Demand

5:38 PM

(I'm more and more convinced that "giving your two cents" and "spending a penny" are closely related terms.)

devinb

Wolfram alpha is probably the best option.

Popular Demand

@Diago Sure, why not?

Diago

@PopularDemand The Facebook suggestion?

devinb

Because it's fairly similar to Wikipedia.

Popular Demand

Yeah, I am a little irked that this question wasn't CW.

It's on Meta, sure, but it's a classic poll.

badp

5:39 PM

@devinb I'm not sure W|A has an API to sip from

Diago

@devinb I hate losing rep. I struggle to keep it as it is.

Popular Demand

@Diago Already contributed.

devinb

@PopularDemand can't we just change it to CW?

Diago

@devinb @PopularDemand I can, anyone want me to?

Popular Demand

@devinb No, only OP or a mod.

devinb

5:39 PM

@Diago I've got over 500 downvotes, and I paid for every one.

@Diago I vote Yea!

All in favour of CW?

Diago

@devinb I will get over my fear and start downvoting

devinb

All opposed?

Popular Demand

@Diago Slightly. It'd be a bit odd to do it at this point in the question's lifespan, though.

devinb

All abstentions?

Popular Demand

@devinb The State of New York abstains.

devinb

5:41 PM

@PopularDemand Sort of. But all moderator actions are essentially asynchronous.

Popular Demand

@Diago What do you need rep for anymore? You have a diamond.

devinb

@PopularDemand For the ladies.

Popular Demand

@devinb Yeah, but... it's been on the featured tab for six days.

Diago

@PopularDemand What @devinb said.

Popular Demand

@devinb Don't they prefer diamonds?

Diago

5:41 PM

@PopularDemand The bounty will still apply. Even if CW

devinb

@PopularDemand They want the total package.

Popular Demand

@Diago Right, but my point was, it's gotten maximum attention.

badp

When my rep ends in '0' or '5' I find giving downvotes much harder than usual.

Popular Demand

@badp Why?

Diago

@devinb The problem is I have 10K+ and diamond on...... (drumroll) Meta SO.

badp

5:42 PM

The number is so pretty!

Diago

@PopularDemand Am I flipping the damn bit or am I not flipping the damn bit?

devinb

Dude, my meta rep is almost 4 times my SO rep.

Sekhat

evening all

Diago

@badp I am with you on that one!

badp

1,935 is prettier than 1,936

Popular Demand

5:43 PM

@devinb I once asked my girlfriend what sort of carbon-based gift she'd like; she said "I want a buckyball!"

@Diago Your call.

devinb

@PopularDemand Does she have an identical twin?

Popular Demand

@devinb Me too.

Diago

@PopularDemand G Thanks. @devinb Your call

devinb

Flip it

Josh

headed to lunch guys, bbs!

Popular Demand

5:44 PM

@devinb Unless they've been pranking me since we met, no.

devinb

@PopularDemand Then I'll have to steal the one you've got. Sorry bro.

@Diago Flip it.

Diago

6

Q: What sites should have hyperlinking (onebox) support in chat?

Some sites are integrated to chat . What additional sites should the chat support? One suggestion per answer.

discussion hyperlinks chat onebox

Has been flipped :P

Popular Demand

@badp I misread at first, I thought you said "I find myself giving downvotes harder than usual."

devinb

I don't feel that you should be earning rep on a Q where you can meaningfully spam it. (overload with answers)

Popular Demand

@devinb Finally, someone who appreciates that story.

badp

5:44 PM

However, I could do downvotes in batches of 5.

@devinb It's kinda late to complain now, however

devinb

I always complain in the general sense.

Diago

@badp That's what I do. I downvote to get my rep even.

Wait. Did someone just say @devinb doesn't complain?

Popular Demand

I think I'm going with the Javadocs, with the implied understanding that it would apply to docs of other languages as well.

Diago

That's the day SE comes down for good :}

devinb

@Diago No, he said I was complaining too late.

Diago

5:48 PM

@devinb Ah. As you were then

devinb

@PopularDemand Jeff said that he didn't wnat things that only apply to SO

Diago

And Joel just admitted defeat

blog.stackoverflow.com/2010/09/fork-it

devinb

He said that on the MSDN one, but none of the others.

Diago

@devinb @PopularDemand We need to make funeral arrangements for Bouncy. Apparently he went down fighting.

badp

►

Popular Demand

5:52 PM

@Diago Okay, that's the second time today someone's referenced "Bouncy." What am I missing?

Diago

@PopularDemand Your icon bouncing when you get mentioned?

devinb

Eulogy for Bouncy: I vividly remember the day I met bouncy. I was sitting in my regular chair, typing on my regular keyboard, eating my regular sandwich and counting my regular millions.

Diago

Have you not seen the cool new number on your avatar thingymabob

badp

7 hours ago, by balpha

changeset:   2069:0665193eae8c
tag:         tip
user:        balpha
date:        Thu Sep 02 12:31:44 2010 +0200
summary:     Bouncy is dead. Long live Bouncy.

devinb

Whilst chatting idly with my friend (who oft referred to me by name) bouncy came knocking. He didn't intrude, simply sat there, literally bursting with excitement that someone actually wanted to speak to me. Like a little lassie.

2

As I reached down to pet him, his tongue lolled out of his mouth, and he returned to his docile state. Sitting there, quietly waiting (unlike clippy) for the next message to be to me, which he would eagerly bound forth and retrieve.

badp

5:55 PM

...then Jeff and Joel wanted some more testing of the chat people and people disliked Bouncy. Popular demand wanted Bouncy dead and sure enough dead was Bouncy.

Popular Demand

@Diago I thought you were referring to a user named Bouncy.

Diago

@PopularDemand Did you see me use an @ anywhere? Huh? Huh? Huh? :)

Popular Demand

@Diago Okay, to me, the lede there was "we adhere to whatever Freud says."

devinb

But sadly, times change, people change and worlds change (as worlds are wont to) and there became more and more demands upon little bouncy. His formerly happy bounce became more akin to a blurring ADHD speed-addict than a friendly reminder.

Popular Demand

@Diago You? No. Someone earlier? I think so.

Diago

5:57 PM

@PopularDemand You will forgive you this time.

devinb

I would pet him, but he remainded energetic. Frothing at the mouth, he refused to sit still.

Diago

@devinb Can we raise a glass to bouncy now or is ther emore coming?

Popular Demand

@PopularDemand I have searched the transcript, and have discovered that I was mistaken.

devinb

But I love him still. Not in a caring way, but in a forced kind of obligatory way. Then he bit Jeff.

And Jeff Shot him.

Popular Demand

Man, old messages should be edited with an icon that links to messages replying to them.

devinb

5:58 PM

So, Let's all raise our glasses.

To Bouncy!

Popular Demand

To Bouncy!

devinb

@Diago You may drink now.

Diago

To Bouncy!

Popular Demand

@Diago Yes... yes, I will forgive me this time.

Diago

Just sorry he's creator wasn't here to see this

But I am sure he will read the transcript

devinb

5:59 PM

I hope @Balpha is moved by my ode to his creation.

Diago

@devinb On behalf of @balpha.. Thanks for the kind and moving words, to properly send bouncy on his merry way

devinb

@badp, @Josh, Will you not drink to our fallen comrade?

@Diago Thank you. I only wish /me could emote the tears.

badp

Sorry, was afd (away from drink)

Diago

Maybe they need a kick in the right direction? Just saying.

badp

To Bouncy!

devinb

6:02 PM

I only wish we could include @bouncy.

He's bouncing up in heaven now.

badp

I didn't know my Gaming tab was heaven... Bouncy is still there

I haven't refreshed yet. I've rejected Jeff's reality and replaced it with my own.

3

Diago

@badp Refresh. Quickly. His soul needs to pass on to the other side.

badp

@Diago no point, Bouncy's soul will always live in @balpha's git repository anyway

Just roll back to revision 2068

devinb

Perfect Epitaph

Bouncy:
He'll always be
in our hearts
and revision 2068

2

2010-2010

badp

Here, have an α and a ω

αω

Popular Demand

6:10 PM

@badp Aw, you beat me to the lookup table.

Diago

FFS. No I don't want my screensaver to have a password by default

Popular Demand

@Diago Like you're going to remember to enable that option the one time you leave your netbook sitting out in a public place.

Diago

@PopularDemand I don't go to public places. My netbook never leaves the house :P

It might get stolen. Or more likely, forgotten.

True story. I walked into a store, saw this cute small notebook and said to my wife that I wanted one "just because".

She fell for it.

Popular Demand

@Diago "fell for it"?

Diago

Sorry. The reason was just because. She bought it for me.

Popular Demand

6:16 PM

@devinb That's difficult, then. Most of these apply to just one site, or just one group of sites (e.g. technology sites).

devinb

@PopularDemand I know.

badp

Mildly amusing bug: try logging in on dev.meta.stackoverflow.com

devinb

@PopularDemand I think there should be a policy of each site gets their own chat specialty link.

I mean, SO already has XKCD

badp

It would be more amusing if it read "48 days" but oh well

Popular Demand

Bouncy spent his whole life in the Stack Exchange community. With respect to @devinb, he deserves a tribute more fitting to his service.

He will live on in
our hearts and revision two-
thousand sixty-eight

badp

6:26 PM

Just a sec while I run a diff on the two tributes... Sold.

Popular Demand

@badp The content is pretty much the same, that's not the point of the change.

Lasse V. Karlsen

6:39 PM

dev should not say -451 days, it should say 6-8 weeks

Diago

Does specializing in a Zune mean you know how to use one, or that you own one?

Lasse V. Karlsen

What do you mean?

how do you specialize in a zune?

spoulson

Is this one of those hokey job description requirements where you must be an expert in a series of ultra-specialized skillsets that hardly ever intersect?

Diago

Someone states on their profile they specialize in a zune. I was wondering what that meant?

Lasse V. Karlsen

I think only they will know

Diago

6:47 PM

@LasseVKarlsen Yeah. It boggles the mind but your right.

Fosco

I am mad specialized in iPad.

Lance Roberts

comments just made on Meta:

@Lance Roberts: What would constitute a viable alternative that would accord with Jeff's policy on tags? His decision was that these tags added nothing useful to tagging the question as opposed to the questioner. In particular, "noob", "n00b", "beginner", etc. are useless at describing the question because a beginner has no good idea of whether a question is near-trivial or deep and complex. – David Thornley 3 hours ago

@David, I don't necessarily have the answer for what is a viable alternative, but the point is that there is information there that no longer exists. So in this case if a b…

Ugghh, that (see full text) thing sucks.

badp

Tsk, if this was IRC you would've been disconnected due to excess flood

See full text lets you paste enormous amounts of text without breaking the flow

Lance Roberts

I wish someone would come up with an idea on how to get that meta information attached to posts.

Diago

@LanceRoberts Actually I also don't agree with you about the whole newbie tag thing. But that's just the trainer in me. And it's to late at night for me to get into a debate :)

devinb

6:53 PM

@LanceRoberts But the fact is true that the newbie tag shouldn't exist.

None of them should.

If you have a fairly beginner problem, the answer should still work for everyone.

Diago

I dislike Ubuntu Sorry. Just had to get that off my chest.

Lance Roberts

@devinb Yes, but it's not that the answer won't work for everyone, it the technical depth of the explanation that matters.

Novice answers can have much more simple explanations, while regular ones can use more technical jargon, and assume that the jargon is understood.

devinb

@LanceRoberts An honest to god good explanation should be skill-neutral.

Popular Demand

Am I wrong about this:

devinb

yes

Popular Demand

6:56 PM

in Regulator Headquarters, 3 mins ago, by Popular Demand

Code golf has nothing to do with the Stack Exchange engine or how SO operates. The fact that some SO questions present code golf challenges is incidental, and doesn't justify a MSO question about code golfing rules.

Lance Roberts

@devinb I'm sure your explanations do reach all levels, but not everyone has your communication skills.

Lasse V. Karlsen

Some movies should just not be made

►

Lance Roberts

I'm not saying we need a 'newbie' tag, I just think there needs to be some way to differentiate things, but don't have a good idea on what that would be.

devinb

@LanceRoberts I'm certain that mine don't but that isn't a reason to codify the mediocrity as the correct way to do it.

Michael Mrozek

@PopularDemand I would say yes (you're wrong). MSO is also for the standard meta-questions about SO, like what's on/off-topic there, it's not only for engine questions

devinb

6:57 PM

The thing is that easier questions will have easy to understand answers.

Fosco

Perhaps there should be user tags, so a user could identify themselves as someone who would understand a technical/jargon filled answer

Lance Roberts

@devinb Generally.

devinb

If the user is unable to understand an answer because it's too technical, then the question arises, "How did they get themselves into this situation.

Lance Roberts

@devinb We all have to start somewhere.

devinb

@LanceRoberts With easy questions.

Michael Mrozek

6:58 PM

If they don't understand the jargon in the answer, they can post a question asking what that jargon means. On some sort of site dedicated to answering questions about programming

Fosco

Kind of like how when my internet is down, I wish I could identify myself as a networking expert to Comcast so they don't put me through the whole script of things I've already done.

Lasse V. Karlsen

fizzbin

Michael Mrozek

@Fosco Comcast doesn't have the capability to identify you as a networking expert because they have none in their employ to compare you with

3

Lasse V. Karlsen

hanselman.com/blog/…

Popular Demand

@MichaelMrozek The question isn't about whether code golf is on-topic. They want to rewrite the code golf rules.

Fosco

6:59 PM

@MichaelMrozek absolutely correct sir :)

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