added xy problem

[ghost]

based on: https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/66377/what-is-the-xy-problem/66378#66378

[WillSullivan]

I appreciate the effort, but having an X/Y problem really isn't reason enough to downvote. Now, there is a variant of the X/Y that is: when a user asks how to do X and what they really need to do Y, but they resist all efforts to have them do Y. They demand that they be given an X solution, and rant about people who tell them to do Y, claiming they can't figure out how to do X and so should go away.

Now, the problem is getting THAT into an IDVB page while following the posted guidelines. I'm not sure how you could detail these negative behaviors and why they deserve a downvote without appearing to accuse the OP of bad behavior. Because you'd be accusing them of bad behavior. Because their behavior is definitely bad.

Do you think you could take a stab at altering the pull to meet these challenges? Because I'm afraid in this form I can't merge the pull. Of course, there's some definite good info in there that belongs somewhere so it can be linked to help people understand the X/Y problem and some of the errors people commit while afflicted. It's just not here.

Leaving this open for discussion.

[ghost]

You make it sound as if down votes are meant for punishment, but I see them as incentive or motivation to increase a questions quality. Furthermore you seem to refer to a definite list of done vote reason, but such thing does not exist — while it does exist for close votes.

Pointing out possible XY-problems is the single most comment I give on questions. And to foster an reaction to that I do deliver this comment with a down vote — because even if I am wrong and it isn't an XY problem, sensing it on my side would still mean that the question is badly written and can be improved. And this should be the only reason for a down vote.

[klutt]

I don't see the XY-problem as a reason to downvote. The only one who suffers is the asker, who will get an answer that is useless to hirself. That does not by any means mean that the question is useless to others.

Actually, there's very, very few questions that you can say for sure that they are not XY-problems. Virtually any problem you see on SO could be a part of a bigger picture.

[praveenscience]

Yep, XY Problem is a defect and not a disease.

[ghost]

It's still annoying to answer someone's question with X, wait for them to find out that it doesn't work, and answer another "X" question.