When I gave this answer, I may have provided good information, but I didn't actually answer the question. Now there is this answer, which does answer the question, or at least comes a lot closer. Should I remove my answer? In general, what is the correct course of action for answers that don't answer the question that was asked?
See this answer for another example of an answer that, while potentially useful, doesn't answer the question it was posted on.
There's two topics here you're asking about: answers that don't answer the question, and then what to do when someone comes along with a better answer.
Some prior reference on the first issue actually hits on the second one too:
In my opinion:
- Answers should actually answer the question. This is non-negotiable.
- The real value of multiple answers is different perspectives.
If your answer isn't fundamentally answering the question, well, make it do that. You can provide extra relevant information if you also answer the question. (See that answer I linked for how to do that without just repeating what everyone else said.)
If someone comes along with what you feel is a better answer, leave yours there. You may find it better, but let everyone else also decide. They might be more accurate, but you might be the only one to explain the answer clearly. You could improve your answer if you want, I often tend to do that.
As for the question you're answering specifically, I think it needs some improvement and I've left a comment accordingly:
Voting to close for now, since this is generating both "let me tell you what's different" answers and answers trying to provide guides of varying officiality. Both kinds of questions are fine, but I think this should be narrowed down to one. – doppelgreener 1 min ago
Feel free and remove or edit your answer.
Answers that do not answer the question posed are liable to be downvoted and/or flagged for deletion; mods routinely delete posts that are not answers.
