There’s a pattern of “I have a problem with X, the solution seems to be Y, I need help implementing Y”.
Sometimes people ask this without considering other solutions; then it can be helpful to point out other solutions. Sometimes people ask this after considering and rejecting lots of other solutions; then it can be annoying to point out other solutions. Unfortunately it’s not always easy for someone answering to tell which is which.
Edit because concrete examples are good: I just came across this SO post, which doesn’t answer the question asked or the question I searched for, but it was my preferred solution to the problem I actually had.
Maybe that’s a description of the other responses, but lmm is not suggesting an alternative to Y, but an alternate path to Y. I think sixes and sevens’s response is ridiculous.
There’s a pattern of “I have a problem with X, the solution seems to be Y, I need help implementing Y”.
Sometimes people ask this without considering other solutions; then it can be helpful to point out other solutions. Sometimes people ask this after considering and rejecting lots of other solutions; then it can be annoying to point out other solutions. Unfortunately it’s not always easy for someone answering to tell which is which.
Edit because concrete examples are good: I just came across this SO post, which doesn’t answer the question asked or the question I searched for, but it was my preferred solution to the problem I actually had.
Maybe that’s a description of the other responses, but lmm is not suggesting an alternative to Y, but an alternate path to Y. I think sixes and sevens’s response is ridiculous.