this post was submitted on 13 Feb 2025
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I can get behind the spirit of this, but often times this is caused by people taking the wrong first steps to solve an issue and then getting lost in the weeds while asking for the solution to where they're stuck, rather than asking about the original problem. In this case, usually both X and Y are bad answers, and asking why they aren't doing Y can elucidate more about the whole situation.
While I agree you do run into XY problems alot I find another way is have them explain their use-case first. By just asking what is your ultimate goal you are trying to achieve. Then after knowing that answering their question to the best of my ability. Otherwise you waste their time ans yours answering the Y. Had one this week customer wanted to remotely view files stored in his local server. Company built out secure vpn and file server for said files. Customer then asks how does the public access these files. Customer really wanted was a website to download documents or public use.
I think answering questions in the context of work is different, because then, yeah I agree, your goal isn't to answer their question, it's to solve their problem.
But if someone makes a thread asking "How do I serve a fileshare publicly", I think it's better to answer with something like, "Open this config, change these options, open these ports in your network, and restart these services. NOW, why do you want to do this? Because it might be a bad idea...etc." Assume that their usecase is private info, and that they are asking the question they mean to ask. Because when someone else who knows they need to do X comes searching for this thread later, you won't be able to ask about their use case.
I also made this adjustment in another comment, but I think at a minimum, if you're offering Y because you don't know how to do X, don't say "you shouldn't want to do X", instead be clear and say "I don't know how to do X, but Y might be an option for you". If no one reading the thread actually knows how to do X, then that's also useful info.
Yes, the XY Problem (or in this case, the YX Problem).
I think it's still better to abide by the rule as I wrote it, because IMO it is actually more elucidating for someone to be able to explain how to do X as it is written, and then provide Y as a possibly preferable alternative, than for someone who maybe really doesn't know how to do X just propose Y instead.
It might even be the case that Y is the solution OP should be asking for, but 10y later when someone else finds that same thread, and Y isn't an option for them, the thread is much less useful.
At a bare minimum, don't say "you shouldn't want to do X", either explain how to do X, or be clear about the fact that you don't know how.