I only suggested that I think a lock is much better at preserving context than a split. I never suggested that they're appropriate for a merge. A lock is for
putting out a fire.
In this case I was asking a question ("are there any PAL image tools?"). Feos' thread is not the definitive answer to my question, it is merely "i'm working on one". I don't see these as equivalent. It's relevant and helpful, but not equivalent.
I was angry because you decided to lock it minutes later, before I could even respond to feos's post in the thread. You didn't even
try to find consensus, if that's what you were hoping for, but even more than this, you didn't even think that I might not consider feos's thread an adequate response to my question. What made me more angry is that you're doing this directly after that
recent discussion, which basically feels like you're intentionally trying to get under my skin. That's really the way this feels to me. In good faith I have to tell myself this feeling is wrong, but this is really how it feels, and I'm trying to calm down. (Sorry.)
Even if feos' thread was the answer to my question, it is 7 months cold, and it's also 4 pages of a long and confusing discussion. Even if my question
was redundant, a fresh and succinct summary answer in a new thread could have been a lot better than "NO, THIS IS ALREADY ANSWERED, FOREVER, YOU MUST READ THE 4 PAGE THREAD". And you didn't even SAY THIS, you just locked the thread silently, like it should be self evident. This reads as
extremely arrogant.
This isn't fucking Stack Overflow. I need to say this again.
Suggesting a merge is fine to do. foes linked his thread, and suggested the discussion be continued there. That's actually totally fine. I completely disagree about the redundancy, but that act is still treating me with respect. By locking the thread, especially without even giving me an opportunity to answer, you're treating my like a baby who doesn't know what's good for himself.
This is what I'm saying about being sparing about using mod privelages. Every moderator act is an act of force. Don't take these actions lightly. And also you should pretty much NEVER do it silently; it always needs an explanation.
Even when someone suggests a merge, YOU DON'T HAVE TO LOCK THE THREAD. Locking is for when it gets out of control. Locking for a merge is for when someone sensibly asks "hey could you contribute to the discussion over here" and they refuse and make a mess. (Kinda like my thread would be right now if I'd responded there instead of here.)
Anyhow, all that said, I think feos had a bit of a point, though he didn't make it explicitly, in that my new thread's subject line was confusingly similar to his thread's. So, I have voluntarily changed it.
Please notice that you didn't need to change it for me. You didn't need to treat me like an invalid for this to happen.
.