[Droid Incredible General] byrong:
In any type of troubleshooting, there are diagnostic and non-diagnostic options.

The diagnostic approach is to identify the original source of the problem. By doing so, you can not only attempt to fix the issue, but decrease the likelihood of future recurrence.

The non-diagnostic approach is to blindly attempt a fix that works for most common problems. If that does not work, the next common fix will be tried, and so-on.

Each approach has its merits. Non-diagnostic fixes tend to be much faster and simpler, but they don't necessarily prevent future problems. Additionally, since they are a one-size-fits-all solution, they generally carry some side-effects.

What do I mean?

Go into the CM7 Nightlies thread and describe a problem that you are experiencing. Within a few minutes, multiple people will tell you to wipe cache/dalvik. If that doesn't work, a handful more will tell you to do a complete wipe.

Those are non-diagnostic fixes: they will solve most of the cases most of the time, but they give no insight as to why there was an issue in the first place. Was something flashed improperly? Did some data become corrupted? Did the user mess with the wrong system files? Were too many apps installed? All of these potential causes would be "fixed" by a full wipe, but all have drastically different implications for future behavior. A full wipe may get a user's phone up and running again, but gives him no clue as to what went wrong. He has failed to learn how to avoid the problem going forward.

Please don't get me wrong: I'm not saying that non-diagnostic fixes don't have a legitimate place in our toolbox, but if you are someone who uses them a lot, you should really consider a more thorough investigation the next time you have an issue.

Consider a vehicle that is having engine problems. If you could afford it, the fastest solution would be to just get a new car (essentially the equivalent of wiping your phone and starting fresh, right?). But what if car #2 starts having problems? What about #3? How many are you going to buy before you stop and say, "Hm, why can't I keep a car running for more than a few months?"

Of course, wiping a phone is free, so no one sees repeated wipes as anything more than an inconvenience. Hell, some of you have said that you like to regularly wipe your phone: that it is part of a routine for you (I've seen some of you say that you do it once a week).

And I can't blame forum members for offering non-diagnostic fixes to people asking for help: it only makes sense. It is my amateur observation that the majority of users seeking help are horrible at articulating the problem. They'll say generic things like, "My phone isn't working. It's acting really screwy. That fix didn't work. It won't let me do anything." With a complete lack of real detail, a non-diagnostic fix is really the only solution that can be offered.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with asking the forum for help: that's how most of us learned in the first place. But take a moment to consider the responses you are getting. Are they generic answers like, "do a full wipe"? If so, why? Did you not include enough detail for a more specific solution? Did you include plenty of detail and that is perhaps the only solution the person helping you knows?

And to those of us who are trying to help people, we should also be considering the advice we hand out. No, most of us do not have the time to hand-hold a stranger and walk them through a detailed investigation that can diagnose an underlying issue. Still, are you telling the same guy for the 5th time to wipe his phone? Rather than do that, encourage him to figure out the actual problem; otherwise the cycle will just continue.

Our love for quick-fixes (both giving and receiving) makes non-diagnostic tools very appealing, but if they are the only thing we use, we prevent ourselves from actually learning more about how these systems work. A guy who buys a new car every time he has a problem will never learn how to maintain a car. He'll never learn how to check fluid levels. He'll never have to find out that he's been chewing up the transmission with his driving style. Our phones are the same way. If "wipe it" is your go-to fix, what have you actually learned about maintaining your phone?