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There is an existing challenge Is it a completely even number? which is very similar to Powers of 2, but asks for 1 to be excluded. I think it's a good challenge, and some people agree, but enough people disagree that it's been unable to get far into the positive-vote range (it only managed to get as far as +3). Before I answered it and edited it, it was in the negative (-3).

My comment This would be a good challenge if there were also a "Powers of 2" challenge has gotten 4 upvotes. This seems to be a pretty clear message that such a new challenge should be created. But I am afraid of trying, because CGCC has a history of challenges being closed as duplicates for being far less similar to another than "Powers of 2" would be to this one. So it's a Catch-22.

However, there is precedent for very similar questions being allowed to stay up. For example, The vanilla factorial challenge.

So, can we do this for Powers of 2?

I would leave my own answers to "Completely even" unchanged, and wouldn't answer Powers of 2 myself, because my answers already compare and contrast solutions for that challenge with those for Powers of 2. But the vast majority of answers do not do this, even though I put a message encouraging it in "Completely even". Thus, if a "Powers of 2" question were allowed to stay up, I would edit "Completely even" to remove the clause encouraging answers to discuss their difference from Powers of 2.

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    \$\begingroup\$ Please don't create poll answers. This is a discussion, so its best for people who agree with a position to advocate for it themselves. If noone exists to advocate for a position then there is no use in creating a poll answer for it. \$\endgroup\$
    – Wheat Wizard Mod
    Apr 9 at 2:12
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    \$\begingroup\$ @WheatWizard Sorry. I did it because I noticed the upvotes of the question growing, but no opinions were being expressed. I was afraid that would keep happening for too long a time before the all the relevant opinions were expressed as answers. \$\endgroup\$
    – Deadcode
    Apr 9 at 2:18
  • \$\begingroup\$ If somebody wants to actually advocate for closing "Completely even" if "Powers of 2" is created, please go ahead and edit that answer, and I'll move my commentary of it into a comment under that answer. \$\endgroup\$
    – Deadcode
    Apr 9 at 2:20

4 Answers 4

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If a new "Powers of 2" question is allowed to stay open, "Completely even" should still be left open.

Although in many golfing languages an answer to both questions is the same length, there are languages where they differ in an interesting way.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ I can't upvote my own answer, but this would be my choice. \$\endgroup\$
    – Deadcode
    Apr 8 at 17:39
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Yes, a new Powers of 2 question should be allowed to stay open.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ I'd close the old question as a duplicate of the new one \$\endgroup\$
    – mousetail
    Apr 8 at 17:34
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If a new "Powers of 2" question is allowed to stay open, "Completely even" should be closed.

If you upvote this, I'd appreciate a comment explaining why. The challenge already has many answers, and some of them actually expose an interesting difference between the two questions.

Also, if this is the choice that ends up being more voted, I'm unlikely to post a "Powers of 2" question myself. I hate how often CGCC closes questions for being duplicates that are actually different in an interesting way. I would much prefer a "live and let live" policy unless a question really is a true duplicate. It's especially heinous to see this happen to questions that have a ton of answers; closing it is robbing future people from being able to have that opportunity too.

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No, Powers of 2 is too similar to the existing "Completely even" challenge, and even those that challenge is heavily downvoted, it's too late to have an actual "Powers of 2" challenge. That ship has sailed.

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