Shoutout to the person who told me to ask 'what's the worst that can happen'

I was stuck on a forum post about a weird computer bug for days. The usual fixes did nothing. I finally posted a question in the 'Ask Anything' section, but I made it super simple, just 'My program crashes when I open a file, what's the first thing I should check?' I thought people would think it was dumb. Instead, three different folks pointed me to the same thing: a hidden config file I didn't even know existed. I deleted it and the whole thing just worked. I learned that sometimes the best answer comes from asking the most basic question out loud. Has anyone else had a simple question solve a problem that felt huge?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_jessica28d ago

Basic questions cut through the noise. They force you to explain the problem simply, which often reveals the answer.

barbaradavis28d ago

Used to think asking simple stuff made me look dumb, like I didn't do my homework first. Totally changed my mind after a similar thing with a car repair forum. I was overcomplicating it, and @the_jessica is right, laying it out plain cuts through all the junk. That basic question forces you to strip away the extra noise you added yourself. Now I start with the dumb question every time, saves so much headache.

samreed28d ago

Totally get that. My stubbornness to not ask a simple question once wasted a whole weekend on a plumbing leak. Finally describing it step by step to a friend made me see the obvious valve I had missed. Swallowing pride to ask the basic thing is a legit superpower.

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