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I asked a question about Linux's unstable API yesterday. Two users Artem S. Tashkinov and Philip Couling answered that question. Artem S. Tashkinov answered with just a link. After some time that answer disappeared and Philip Couling gave another answer with more details. Then Artem S. Tashkinov and Philip Couling started to debate. Artem S. Tashkinov claimed that Philip Couling's answer is not an answer but an opinion.

From Tour page, It's not a discussion forum. There's no chit-chat.

Is it OK to debate like this?

  • That many comments will automatically generate a flag for moderator attention. – muru Aug 19 '20 at 6:50
  • Yet his "answer" to your question is still not an answer which infringes on the policies of this website. An answer implies something which is factual, proven and universally recognized as being "true". His "answer" is anything but. He slightly changed the wording to make it sound less factual and more opinionated but the fact that it was posted as an answer is still an insult to intelligence and rules of this website. I tried to adhere to this website policies but my requests fell on deaf ears. You also marked his answer as a solution because you simply believed him. This is just ugly – Artem S. Tashkinov Aug 23 '20 at 14:27
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No, comments are not for extended discussion.

From the Tour page:

This site is all about getting answers. It's not a discussion forum. There's no chit-chat.

Further, from the Help Center on the Comment privilege:

When should I comment?

You should submit a comment if you want to:

  • Request clarification from the author;
  • Leave constructive criticism that guides the author in improving the post;
  • Add relevant but minor or transient information to a post (e.g. a link to a related question, or an alert to the author that the question has been updated).

and:

When shouldn't I comment?

Comments are not recommended for any of the following:

  • Secondary discussion or debating a controversial point; please use chat instead.

I converted all of those particular comments to a chat room a few hours ago.

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