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Background story/motivation for question:

I recently saw an answer that presented an incorrect way of solving a problem. (Simple algebra error, $\sqrt{x^2 + y^2} \not = x + y$.)

I let the author know via comment, and ended going back/forth a few times before he understood the error. The user then edited the answer and responded with a comment that (in my opinion) implied that I was the one in error, not himself. (I'm sure it wasn't meant to be ugly/mean, but could be interpreted in several ways--all he posted was an equation.)

Question:

What is the protocol/accepted response when a user edits their own answer beyond recognition, and I've commented on the old answer?

My comments don't apply to the new one (and could, theoretically, be deleted along with the whole (short) back/forth about the error), but I can't delete the whole conversation, so I'm hesitant to delete my side of it.

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2 Answers 2

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You can flag as no longer relevant and a moderator can delete the entire conversation.

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Perhaps this can be solved in part by having some form of informal protocol for how users perform edits. When I change one of my answers due to comments, be it a minor typo, much larger flaw in a proof or just some extra, more general information about the problem/my answer, I usually prefix the edit with something like: "As blank points out in the comments...". This is as much to give credit where credit's due as it is to make the comments less confusing.

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