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I just asked a question on Stackoverflow. They closed it because it needed a "crystal ball" to answer such questions.

My concept of "crystal ball" makes me interpret it as that we need some magic to be able to answer. Somehow, I don't feel it is right.

I searched "crystal ball" online, but failed to find any special meaning associated with it. I suspect that it might be related to some popular culture I'm not aware of, so I decide to ask for help here.

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"I searched "crystal ball" online", if that was meant literally, then this Q fits ELL. On the other hand, if it was meant tongue in cheek as it more likely is, then this is a question for meta. – Kris Mar 1 at 8:40

closed as general reference by MετάEd, tchrist, Kristina Lopez, Hellion, aedia λ Mar 1 at 18:24

This question is too basic; it can be definitively and permanently answered by a single link to a standard internet reference source designed specifically to find that type of information. See the FAQ for guidance on how to improve it.

1 Answer

up vote 5 down vote accepted

From your SO question:

By youngest programming language, I mean that the language should have notable influence and will continue to shape the world, provided that it appears most recently.

As you want the answerer to know how the programming language will fare in the future, s/he will need to use a crystal ball to find out.

Crystal ball:

1 : a sphere especially of quartz crystal traditionally used by fortune-tellers
2 : a means or method of predicting future events

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