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I'd like to appeal the closure of wadl2java throwing runtime exception.

The first commenter suggests that the situation is the asker's fault, and from that point, nothing the asker says or does is answered, and the question is simply closed.

I came across the exact same problem as the asker a week later, and was frustrated to find that the only instance of that question on SO had been closed and ignored. This left me to put in 4 hours of research to find a solution on my own, the results of which I added as a comment.

However, I've noticed that closed questions appear to eventually be deleted. I've searched for mention of a close-then-delete policy, but haven't found anything conclusive. I feel that the question and answer are valuable to future searchers, at least until the next version of wadl2java is released (Given that it's had this issue since October 2012, I'm not optimistic of that being any time soon), and am afraid that if the question is not re-opened, it and it's solution will be lost.

I edited the question for clarity and to remove localized elements, but despite my edits having been approved for over 36 hours now, I see no movement on the question's closure status. Thus, this post on Meta. (Or are there steps I should have taken besides those mentioned in how to appeal a closed question? and by How often closed question are reopened?).

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  • The way I read that question, it's at most application support. I don't see a question in there that's fit for SO.
    – Bart
    Commented Mar 1, 2013 at 9:22
  • Not every great question or solution fits on SO. Some questions which are closed can be valueable, but if it does not belong to SO it should get closed. So is this.
    – Wouter J
    Commented Mar 1, 2013 at 9:31
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    Perhaps I'm missing something, but the SO FAQ says "… if your question generally covers … software tools commonly used by programmers … then you’re in the right place to ask your question!" As this is a problem people will encounter with valid setups of wadl2java, and as the Java.net bug trucker is behind a login and thus unindexed by Google, this SO question is currently the only hit the internet when searching for this problem.
    – Ashley Ross
    Commented Mar 1, 2013 at 9:42
  • I see the "software tools commonly used by programmers" as relating to their actual use. Not to their installation. I would equally see a question like "Visual Studio crashes on installation" as off-topic and maybe a better fit for Super User (but the developer's own support system might be your best bet).
    – Bart
    Commented Mar 1, 2013 at 9:46
  • Okay, but this has nothing to do with the installation of wadl2java. To use your Visual Studio analogy, this question is more like "Visual Studio crashes on start-up after successful installation", and the cause is a bug in this version of Visual Studio. If this is not a right fit for SO, should it perhaps be moved to another SE site?
    – Ashley Ross
    Commented Mar 1, 2013 at 9:52
  • Even in that case I would say it's application support. Maybe Super User might be better. Not entirely sure though since I don't participate. So don't take my word for it. Perhaps ask on their Meta if they would welcome the question and your answer. If so, you could possibly make it a self-answered question. Because, as you say, the information in itself might be of value. I personally don't see this as an on-topic question for SO.
    – Bart
    Commented Mar 1, 2013 at 10:03
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    Fair enough. My aim is to successfully share my perspective, or successfully have my perspective altered, so your feedback is appreciated. :)
    – Ashley Ross
    Commented Mar 1, 2013 at 10:07

1 Answer 1

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Kudos for wanting to share your perspective. Just because that question was too localized and closed quickly doesn't mean you can't answer your own, improved question that might include some of the issues you raised in comments. Sadly, I don't understand the technologies in context well enough to suggest exactly how you might do this. For reference, here's a concrete example that was my response to a series of poorly framed questions about dynamic content using a particular library.

Addendum: I'm not sure if this is a suitable approach for SO, or if I should find a different SE site for the question and answer.

One heuristic is to ask, "Might this self-answered question be usefully cited elsewhere regardless of its location." This example began life on SO as a response to perennial questions about customized file explorers, and it flourished when migrated to Code Review. It has since become widely cited, for example.

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  • The only question I can think of is a very basic "How do I use wadl2java?", which could be answered with examples and a "By the way, if you hit this exception..." section. I'm not sure if this is a suitable approach for SO, or if I should find a different SE site for the question and answer. Your thoughts?
    – Ashley Ross
    Commented Mar 1, 2013 at 20:13
  • I've tried to elaborate above.
    – trashgod
    Commented Mar 2, 2013 at 2:25
  • Thanks for the examples, though I'm still not sure how I would go about creating a non-vague question that could be answered in such a way as to include the workarounds for wadl2java's issues - it's not an especially difficult tool to use, once you get it running. Perhaps this is more application support than anything else, and while it is a programming tool and the problem is a (in my opinion) common issue, I'm not sure if there's anywhere on the SE network that would welcome such a question. I could always post it on my personal site instead?
    – Ashley Ross
    Commented Mar 2, 2013 at 18:54
  • Even a vague question, such as my first example, may be deemed useful if it is accompanied by one (or more) informative answers. Perhaps you can make the Q&A one worth citing in the tag. Mention it (appropriately) in comments or answers among these results. If you cite your blog, as many respected SO contributors do, just be aware of the limits for self-promotion in answers. In this case, open source is usually well received.
    – trashgod
    Commented Mar 2, 2013 at 19:47

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