I wasn't going to contribute further to this, but after considerable thought, I've decided that you have me confused.
When do you get afflicted by this "cruft"?
If it's in the item that is a duplicate of an earlier item, isn't it better to have the cross-reference?
If it's in my comment history, why are you looking there - it's full of "cruft."
It seems to me that the only times you'll come across it are when you actively seek it - and that's no basis for a complaint - or when it helps you avoid splitting a discussion, and that's surely a good thing.
But no mind, never matter, I'm not doing it any more.
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ADDED IN EDIT: For what it's worth, in the current top 30 items on the "newest" page there are 5 duplicates of previously submitted items. If people start a discussion on those then they will be missing out on the discussions that have already happened. I think that's a shame, and it offends my sense of "taste" as an engineer.
When do you get afflicted by this "cruft"?
If it's in the item that is a duplicate of an earlier item, isn't it better to have the cross-reference?
If it's in my comment history, why are you looking there - it's full of "cruft."
It seems to me that the only times you'll come across it are when you actively seek it - and that's no basis for a complaint - or when it helps you avoid splitting a discussion, and that's surely a good thing.
But no mind, never matter, I'm not doing it any more.
=======
ADDED IN EDIT: For what it's worth, in the current top 30 items on the "newest" page there are 5 duplicates of previously submitted items. If people start a discussion on those then they will be missing out on the discussions that have already happened. I think that's a shame, and it offends my sense of "taste" as an engineer.
(also edited for typos)