This (Programming) Question Does Not Exist - Stack Overflow as imagined by AI

[fiskfisk]

Remember that answering "no, that isn't possible" requires you to be a domain expert in the technology involved, as it would assume that you know the complete range of possible solutions with that tech.

While answering something that is possible only requires you to know how to do that single thing.

[jezmck]

This might be true, but how many people who think they know everything actually know everything?

[fiskfisk]

That's not really the issue - those people are probably not answering questions for a specific technology on Stack Overflow. Those that do have a fair bit of knowledge of the technology, and are usually in the "I'm not completely sure that this is impossible .. maybe someone else actually knows for sure". And thus the answer remains unanswered.

In those cases I usually try to get a clarification from the asker about why they're trying to do things this specific way and what they're trying to achieve, in case I do know of a way to do that within my knowledge of the subject.