Please note; Due to its very nature, this post is very subjective and is not intended to be a definitive list of categories. It is merely an attempt to offer one perspective of what has been suggested, and to ask "How should we move forward?"
Sometimes it is a bit hard to see the wood for the trees...
Following on from tjb1's meta post, Post Closing Issues, it seems like we should widen the scope and be less strict about what is, and what is not, on-topic. What do people think? What additions, if any, should be made? Are there things that definitely should be on the list, that aren't currently?
So, with respect to our On-topic page, which needs updating, in order to get an idea of what people have been asking ("why has my question been closed?"/"why is X not allowed"), I've gone through the Meta questions and come up with a list of questions that mentioned the words "ask" and "topic". I then pulled out the questions relating to specifically what types of questions can/can't be asked.
A number of them seem to be able to be labeled as duplicates (inasmuch as they asked more or less the same thing), and so I have attempted to group them according to their suggestion request. The full list is at the bottom of this post.
Even though I went through both lists twice - also, I didn't read every question and answer listed below fully - there may be some suggestions that I have missed. Please feel free to either suggest a change, or edit this post directly and add any that have gone astray (in that respect, maybe this question should be a wiki?).
Whilst we maybe don't want to change the aim of the site too much (as doing so may put off some regular users), maybe the scope needs to broaden slightly, as to have a wider appeal and be more inclusive.
BTW, a useful post to read is What should our documentation contain?
Any thoughts, questions, additional suggestions that have not already been posted, agreements, or disagreements?
Update
The list below was integrated into the on-topics page, on the 8th June 2019. See On-topic has been updated - finally! for further discussion.
TL;DR - Suggested topics
In the list below,
- Italics are used for notes
- Strikethrough is used for definitive no-go topics
Whilst there may be some overlap, duplication and/or mis-categorisation, the list of suggested on-topics seems to be, essentially:
- Recommendations (Hardware and Software)
- Note: Usually banned from SE - with the exception of Hardware Recommendations
General Shopping - opinion basedFirst printer - opinion based, see "Best first printer" wiki/blog/closed-question- Best printer
Overall - opinion based- For specific task - opinion based but allowable, although speed as a task is in a very grey area... this question Fastest FDM printer? was closed for being opinion-based
- Best software
Overall - opinion based- For a specific task - opinion based but allowable
- Software issues
- Firmware
- Tools
- Coding/Compiling firmware (see Misc - Coding)
- 3D modelling (same as CAD?)
- Websites (could come under Software and/or Tools)
- Recommended sites
- for knowledge
- for models
- for online tools
- Issues with web based tools
- Recommended sites
- CAD
- Needs to show relevancy to 3D printing! (See Meta questions)
- Overlap with SE.Blender?
- Printer DIY
- Repair and maintenance (both commercial and DIY repair of both commercial and DIY printers)
- Construction
- Mechatronics
- Components (could come under Printer DIY)
- Thermistors is a good example, see note 1 below
- Help and Recommendations
- Electronics
- Printer related electronics
- Common electronic gotchas
- Print Services
- Scanning
- Bio-printing
- 3D Models
- Feasibility
- Availability
- Sharing recommended settings
- Legal issues
- Copyright (i.e. Lego)
- Guns/Weapons
- Insurance (i.e. fire damage)
- Manufacturers
Best manufacturer - opinion based
- Materials
- Filament
- ABS
- PLA
- PETG
- etc.
- Makerspaces
- Medical
- Materials for medical use
- Medical quality printing
- Medical applications for 3D printed objects
- Health
- Closely related, and may overlap with safety
- Safety
- Fumes
- Print material suitability for foodstuffs
- Non-3D Printing related
- Misc
- Not strictly 3D related, see Non-3D Printing related above
- Anything 3D related
- Connecting 3D printed parts - For example, connecting 3D printed parts is currently off-topic2
- Coding - For example How to build my own Cura GUI? - Coding Ultimaker Cura question, migrated to SO3
- Other
- FFF (Fused Filament Fabrication)
- FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling)
- SLA (Stereo Lithography)
- DLP (Digital Light Processing)
- SLS (Selective Laser Sintering)
- DLMS (Direct Laser Metal Smelting)
Notes
Admittedly, there will be overlap with some other SE sites and whilst we need to avoid the too-broad-black-hole, we should also welcome all things that are 3D Printer related, so as to keep all relevant knowledge in a central location.
1 WRT Components, and taking the thermistors meta question as an example, my first thought is that questions like this should remain, as they are pertinent to 3D Printing, otherwise we could theoretically end up compartmentalising printers and migrating off a lot of stuff to SE. Electronics, SE.Engineering, SE.Hardware Recommendations, etc.
2 The same applies to the Misc/Anything 3D related, in particular the Connecting 3D parts question. Yes, as some of the comments state, you could remove the 3D printer part and then it is basically an engineering question. However, when taken as a whole, this question is pertinent to 3D printing of large models, in parts.
3 Also under Misc/Anything 3D related, Coding Ultimaker Cura is a SO type question, but it is also 3D printer specific
Additional suggestions in the future
Instead of posting a new question, it might be a good idea to post an additional answer, containing the suggestion, to this question - in order to keep everything grouped together. This will save on the pain of having to go through all of the Meta questions as I have just done.
However, that might mean that the suggestion request would not have such prominence that it would do if the suggestion was posted independently as its own question... So (at the risk of duplication), if a new question/suggestion is posted, then it could be a good idea to also copy that new post and add it as an answer below.
Meta Suggestions
These are the meta questions that I used to create the categories above:
ask - 89 questions in total
General scope questions
- What should our documentation contain?
- What is our scope?
- What is your opinion on SE Meta post regarding questions that cross Community lines?
- How do we get more traffic to the site?
- What should our documentation contain?
Recommendations
- Ask about recommendation
- Is a novice question on a specific printer allowed?
- How do we handle recommendations?
- Discussions type: X 3d printer is good? are acceptable
- Is there any way to prevent endless "best first printer" posts?
- Ask about recommendation
- Another approach to solving "purchase" questions
Software
Software Suggestion
- Software Suggestion Question
- Questions about software and websites?
- Are software recommendation questions allowed here? - not in the ask list, but relevant here
CAD
Misc
- Are questions that tangentially involve 3D printing on topic?
- Hobbyist Machine questions On-Topic?
- Generalized questions allowed?
- FFF/FDM vs... everything else?
- FDM printer that can also mill and engrave -- what's in scope?
CNC
Printer not working:
- How to handle "Why is in't my printer working?!" questions
- What about mystery-problem troubleshooting requests?
- Repairing 3D printer
Discovering 3D Printing
- null
Print services
- Are questions from people who lack knowledge of 3D printing looking to discover how to have something printed on-topic?
- Are Questions about Online 3-D printing services allowed?
Model Feasibility
Model Availability
Scanning
Bio Printing
- Bio-Printing Questions Okay?
- What is our scope? - not in the ask list, but relevant here
on-topic - 56 questions in total
Sharing Settings through out the community
Printer construction - DIY
Legal issues
- Are questions involving legal issues and 3D printing on-topic?
- Closing questions about knock-off printers
Filament/Materials
- Why are you voting to close this question?
- Could this Printing Material Recommendation Question be or shaped to be valid on 3D SE? - not in the on-topic list, but relevant here
Laser
- Adding a 'laser' tag?
- Is laser etching, specifically a question linked below, considered to be on topic?
Thermistors
Makerspaces
Mechatronics
- What is our scope? - not in the on-topic list, but relevant here
Actual questions (not meta)
Closed - 73 questions in total
- how to build own cura gui? - Coding Ultimaker Cura question, migrated to SO: How to build own Cura GUI?
- What is the best way to connect 3D printed parts? - General Mechanical issue
- Interesting project for a child - Opinion based, but it was a HNQ
Scanning
Laser
Legal
Recommendations
Deleted
- Understand and developing firmware - IDE help - Setting up a development environment
- What's the least amount of money I can spend to get a decent printer? - Shopping
- Designing a Safe and Crush-proof Pokemon playing card box using a 3D Super-Elipsoid - Migrated to Engineering: Designing a Safe and Crush-proof Pokemon playing card box using a 3D Super-Elipsoid
- Resources on getting horus/ciclop scanners to work?
Model recommendation (for a specific purpose)
, which currently isn't on the list, even under3D Models
... so should it be? We only have availability and Feasibility. $\endgroup$