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It is the second time it happens to me today, I take 5 minutes to understand a question, then 10 minutes for writing (and editing multiple times) a detailed answer or comment, I'm proud of me, and just after having finished writing my proof, suddenly, the OP deletes the question... hence my work is lost forever, and that's a little frustrating !

deleted question

maybe it'd need a rule such as

  • a question cannot be deleted during the 20 minutes after the last comment or the last answer ?

this would let the OP think to if he'd really want to delete, and it would be much less frustrating for the answer-er, as he'd probably won't notice that the question has been deleted..

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    $\begingroup$ And suppose that you do that. And someone posts a comment, and that pushes the deletion threshold by 20 minutes. Then another comment and another and another. You can effectively force someone not to delete something. This something could be entirely not worth keeping, or suppose that the OP completely understood something and feels that the question is entirely silly because of that one comment (it happened to me once or twice in my life, although not on MSE). This is not a reasonable feature request in my opinion. $\endgroup$
    – Asaf Karagila Mod
    Commented Mar 15, 2016 at 17:08
  • $\begingroup$ @AsafKaragila : I don't agree at all, the commentators have a much higher level than the OP in 99% of the posts, and if they keep commenting, it means that the question is interesting and still opened. if the OP understood something, he is still able to edit $\endgroup$
    – reuns
    Commented Mar 15, 2016 at 17:25
  • $\begingroup$ Even if the comment is "Well, trivially because of X"? I entirely disagree with that. $\endgroup$
    – Asaf Karagila Mod
    Commented Mar 15, 2016 at 17:26
  • $\begingroup$ are you sure you know the posts/discussions of Math.SE ? good luck for finding an example of such a question where commentators are talking for nothing during a long time (except when the question is of really low level, and hence that it is the 1st or 2nd question of the OP ) $\endgroup$
    – reuns
    Commented Mar 15, 2016 at 17:26
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    $\begingroup$ No. I've only been using the site for nearly six years on a daily basis, and amassed a four digit number of edits and flags and a five digits number of votes. I don't know anything at all about this website. $\endgroup$
    – Asaf Karagila Mod
    Commented Mar 15, 2016 at 17:28
  • $\begingroup$ hence you agree that excepted the 10-15% of low (high-school) level questions, what you said is not true for 80% of the posts $\endgroup$
    – reuns
    Commented Mar 15, 2016 at 17:29
  • $\begingroup$ @AsafKaragila : anyway, I'm not proposing to block the deletion for 24h, but only for maybe 10min , enough time such that the answer-er (only if he has a high reputation ?) doesn't notice that the post has been deleted (so that he isn't frustrated as I am when it happens), it is a feature for those who are addicted to Math.SE, and it shouldn't be annoying for everyone else $\endgroup$
    – reuns
    Commented Mar 15, 2016 at 17:33
  • $\begingroup$ @AsafKaragila : and what you don't understand is that Math.SE is not only for answering to the OP, but for helping everyone making progress, mostly the ones who are commenting/answering (who learn much more than the OP...); deleting too soon means not letting the others to understand why the question is solved... that's the opposite of what Math.SE is useful for $\endgroup$
    – reuns
    Commented Mar 15, 2016 at 17:40
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    $\begingroup$ If you want to answer a question, and it was deleted while you write an answer, you should just post the question, explain the situation, and post the answer as well. (Been there, done that.) $\endgroup$
    – Asaf Karagila Mod
    Commented Mar 15, 2016 at 17:47
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    $\begingroup$ (I mean, MSE is not for the OP, it's for everyone. So what does it matter who's the OP?) $\endgroup$
    – Asaf Karagila Mod
    Commented Mar 15, 2016 at 17:48
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    $\begingroup$ I think there is a reasonable idea behind this thought. I think a reasonable implementation might be that there be a window in which the OP cannot delete a question posted. Perhaps something like the interval [5 minutes after post, 15 minutes after post]. Why? Sometimes, people post something and then immediately realize it's bad, and that's okay, and so they delete it. Do I actually like this proposal? Well, no, I don't. But I think it's something that one might find arguments supporting. $\endgroup$
    – davidlowryduda Mod
    Commented Mar 15, 2016 at 20:54
  • $\begingroup$ note that on mathoverflow, it seems that (new) users with low reputation cannot delete there post if a high reputation user edited it @AsafKaragila. I'm convinced there should exist an intelligent idea for solving all the deletion problems, probably relying on the fact that high reputation users are highly trustable on Math.SE : it's nearly as if they were as trustable as moderators are on normal internet forums. $\endgroup$
    – reuns
    Commented Mar 15, 2016 at 21:00
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    $\begingroup$ These posts are - to some extent - related in that they are thoughts of users which had somewhat similar problem: On deleting vs. closing duplicate questions and Is there a way to punish users for posting and then immediately deleting a question? $\endgroup$
    – Martin Sleziak
    Commented Mar 15, 2016 at 22:51
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    $\begingroup$ "note that on mathoverflow, it seems that (new) users with low reputation cannot delete there post if a high reputation user edited it" What did give you this impression? (Unregistered users cannot delete, but first they never can, and this is like this everywhere.) This is just not the case. More generally, MO does not differ regarding site mechanics from this site. (The sole difference I would be aware of is that MO does not have HNQ and community/network adds. Maybe there is another detail I forget, but I doubt anything of relevance.) $\endgroup$
    – quid
    Commented Mar 16, 2016 at 13:47
  • $\begingroup$ @AsafKaragila I am in no way an experienced user of the site, but the OP is raising a fair point. I can see how the 20minute window after every comment will be an obstacle but how about "minimizing" that obstacle? That is A question cannot be deleted during the 15 minutes after it was posted OR answered This way, you have some time to understand what you are readind whether that is a question or an anwser! $\endgroup$
    – christina_g
    Commented Mar 18, 2016 at 17:51

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