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On this question on Super User …

How to Copy Mac files to external NTFS hard drive?

… there is a comment:

Yes, it is possible. Check out this question: apple.stackexchange.com/questions/447/… – user98776

The interesting thing is that:

  • The user has 1 reputation
  • There was no migrated / deleted answer
  • The question itself was not migrated
  • The user is registered
  • The user does not have any associated network account, therefore no network profile
  • The mods don't see anything obvious.

enter image description here

Why were they able to post a comment?

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  • 2
    Maybe they posted an answer and a moderator converted it after it was flagged?
    – Verbeia
    Sep 22, 2011 at 12:48
  • 2
    No, there is no deleted answer on the post, I would have been able to see it.
    – slhck
    Sep 22, 2011 at 12:48

1 Answer 1

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26

This could possibly be an effect of Answer appears automatically converted as a comment.

Trivial answers containing a link to another question in the network are automatically converted to comments on the question.

This would explain it, although I would have thought there would be something visible to mods that this had happened.

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9
  • Well, if that's by-design, then it's 1) the first time I've ever seen it and 2) confusing as hell. I'd much rather downvote or flag such an "answer".
    – slhck
    Sep 22, 2011 at 12:52
  • 4
    @slhck how so? by itself it isn't really an answer (I think we all agree on that), and would have attracted lots of flags/"this should be a comment" comments - the system merely detected that and cut through all that fluff. In most cases it saves time... unless it prompts a meta question, of course ;p
    – Marc Gravell
    Sep 22, 2011 at 13:01
  • Well, it certainly happens more often on SO, so I see where you're coming from! I've just never seen it :) @mar
    – slhck
    Sep 22, 2011 at 13:12
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    @MarcGravell So this conversion doesn't leave a deleted answer behind like a conversion-by-moderator does?
    – Adam Lear StaffMod
    Sep 22, 2011 at 13:22
  • @Anna obviously it does not, which is the main point of confusion (for me, at least)
    – slhck
    Sep 22, 2011 at 13:31
  • The answer for that question also reports, "After some internal discussion, when we convert an answer auto-magically we'll do the "linked answer" fade + a one time message to the poster only. This will not survive navigating away from the page, by design."
    – apaderno
    Sep 22, 2011 at 13:31
  • 1
    @Anna no, it does not. ONLY a comment is saved to the database.
    – Marc Gravell
    Sep 22, 2011 at 13:58
  • 3
    Lets destroy it quickly... SE is becoming self aware!
    – William Hilsum
    Sep 22, 2011 at 15:08
  • Wow. Can they edit the answer after the convert? In that case, they could create an comment & edit instead of just writing the comment.
    – Johannes Kuhn
    Jul 15, 2013 at 9:16

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