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I found this question here on Meta from 2009, and it was closed recently as a duplicate of a question that was posted much later!

Why is that? It's not just that older questions can't be duplicates of newer questions, but I also wonder why people dug up this old one and started to cast close votes on it all of a sudden; it hadn't had any activity for years.

Not that I have much reason to have it reopened or to have the newer one closed, but I'm just curious.

Edit:
Given the responses, this question might be better off as a feature request. So here goes:

Suggestion

Change the text in the "Closed" notification from "This question covers exactly the same content as earlier questions on this topic" to "other questions".

Improve this question
8
  • Why would that be a problem?
    – Michael Petrotta
    Commented Aug 1, 2012 at 5:44
  • 2
    @MichaelPetrotta Well, for one thing, the Closed message below the post says literally "This question covers exactly the same content as earlier questions on this topic" (emphasis mine). That means the system thinks it can't happen!
    – Mr Lister
    Commented Aug 1, 2012 at 5:47
  • 6
    Yeah... I think that's a technicality, a wording issue. Can you think of other reasons why we wouldn't want to allow a newer, better-formulated question to serve as the target for an older, poorer dupe?
    – Michael Petrotta
    Commented Aug 1, 2012 at 5:50
  • 1
    @MrLister: Hmmm, perhaps that could be reworded then... While it is much more uncommon, it is certainly acceptable. Generally it's better to keep the duplicate which is better worded and has better answers as the primary one.
    – animuson StaffMod
    Commented Aug 1, 2012 at 5:50
  • @animuson OK, so yes, if that word changes, that would be better. I've updated my question now.
    – Mr Lister
    Commented Aug 1, 2012 at 6:00
  • 1
    How poetic, that this was closed as a dupe of a newer question..
    – Martijn Pieters
    Commented May 23, 2013 at 23:09
  • 3
    I hate you. I hate all of you.
    – Mr Lister
    Commented May 24, 2013 at 7:34
  • 1
    I see what has gone into this question as well. hmmm...
    – nawfal
    Commented Jan 1, 2014 at 17:37

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
26

Sometimes a newer question is better formulated and has better, more up-to-date answers.

If we find an older question that we missed before (we are all humans here, well, except perhaps Jon Skeet, he's a robot), linking it to a question with better answers and (in this case) better tagging only helps new visitors find the best answers. And that's the goal of Stack Overflow.

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3
  • 2
    The rest of you are humans?!
    – jscs
    Commented Aug 1, 2012 at 5:52
  • 8
    I'm about to win the Loebner prize here, give me a break!
    – Martijn Pieters
    Commented Aug 1, 2012 at 5:53
  • 3
    @JoshCaswell I think I am. I know I make mistakes, but then, that could be one of them.
    – Mr Lister
    Commented Aug 1, 2012 at 5:54

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