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I have a question regarding a scenario I could not understand from the FAQ. The scenario:

  1. I asked a question
  2. I received several answers, some of them received upvotes (e.g. one of them has 3 upvotes)
  3. None of the answers helps me, even the upvoted ones
  4. I start a bounty
  5. For 7 days, no ones provides an answer or upvotes existing answers
  6. Bounty period is finished

In that case, will the most upvoted question from before the bounty period be automatically accepted and receive half the bounty? If that's the case, it kind of misses the whole point of the bounty (receive other answers), isn't it?

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It is not possible for an answer prior to the bounty start to be auto-accepted.

The assumption is that the bounty owner was not satisfied with any of the existing answers at the time the bounty was started.

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    Thanks, so what does happen in this case?
    – Roee Adler
    Aug 31, 2009 at 5:59
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    Is this a recent rule? because on the 12th of July, my answer, made before the bounty, got auto-selected: stackoverflow.com/questions/1056912/…
    – VonC
    Aug 31, 2009 at 6:08
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    it was a change to the rules a few months ago. I'd have to go back through the SVN checkins to determine when it was added. In the case where no answer is "good enough" then nothing happens. However, if the owner does not accept in the alloted time, then no answer can ever be accepted.
    – Jeff Atwood
    Aug 31, 2009 at 7:07
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    Interesting. Thank you for this comment. Side-note: this could be an argument in favor of a "release note" ;) ( meta.stackexchange.com/questions/18355/… )
    – VonC
    Aug 31, 2009 at 7:23
  • Note: if you edit -- during a bounty -- an answer made before the bounty... it can also be auto-selected. See stackoverflow.com/questions/1240018/1240054#1240054 . Is that coherent with your new rule?
    – VonC
    Aug 31, 2009 at 8:07
  • Thanks, Jeff. I'd also had an answer that I had given before a bounty was placed win the bounty. This must have happened before the rule change.
    – Bill the Lizard
    Aug 31, 2009 at 11:44
  • If the OP's satisfaction mattered, they should be able to keep the question "unresolved" and not accept any answer.
    – Draemon
    Jan 25, 2010 at 12:36

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