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Formally, you can use any criteria you like to accept an answer. So your question is really about the most sensible way to decide.
If there's no prospect of you ever testing any other answer either, you might as well accept the one that seems most likely to answer your question.
Even if you can only test it later, it's reasonable to accept an answer for ...
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A typical error made by new users consists in trying to accept more than one answer to one of their questions.
How do you know that this is really erroneous behavior, but not choosing a better answer to be accepted by the OP?
Shouldn't they quickly realize that accepting another answer for their question unmarks the previously marked question?
I think it'...
5
As answered by @JourneymanGeek:
No one does. The post has no owner. We treat it, well like the owner
hasn't been back for a while.
However, it need not always be like this. For example, this is a feature request that would allow acceptance of a question to "time out" when an asker leaves the site or loses interest in their question:
Keeping special ...
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That is really subjective. When you have the feeling that some answer solves your problem, then sure, accept it. You see, even when you later find: "err, it doesn't work, you can always un-accept". Or when a different, "better" answer comes in, you simply move the accept.
Your decision is not cast in stone!
Of course it might be useful to add a comment "...
answered Jan 31 at 19:31
GhostCat salutes Monica C.
26.2k12 gold badges95 silver badges166 bronze badges
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When you can't test it, there's no point in accepting it. Accepting an answer simply means that the OP received an answer that worked for them personally; therefore, since you can't test it, it hasn't really helped you.
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I would add to others answers, even in case of a user that is not deleted, nothing can force him to change the accepted answer anyhow.
The fact it was accepted mean the answer was useful in that time. It’s the big difference between some forums and here, here the answer mark is controlled by only the OP, which for me is important to stay it that way.
...
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My advice is not to overthink this.
Just pick the answer that helped you the most, and accept it. Then upvote any other answer you found useful. Don't forget to downvote any answer that wasn't. Then give back by answering things and reviewing things and continuing to ask interesting questions.
It is also possible to give bounties to reward exceptional ...
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On EL&U and on ELL I have witnessed a number of incorrect accepted answers being heavily downvoted by the community coupled with innumerable comments lambasting the author or the OP because the answer was either incomplete or totally wrong.
Sometimes the OP is convinced and changes their mind, but sometimes they accept the first answer posted, to then ...
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This topic got some recent spin again when this happened. Apparently some user accepted and used an answer which superficially "worked", but turned out to be wrong.
This emphasizes again, that the person asking the question might have little to no capacity to identify a "good" or "correct" answer. I "understand" that the intention of the accept option is to ...
1
No one does. The post has no owner. We treat it, well like the owner hasn't been back for a while.
I suspect the "best" way to deal with it is to create a question pointing out the answer for the other question dosen't work or is false, and maybe close as dupe the other way.
In some cases, historically, I've just posted an answer and figured voting and ...
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