> If your version works for you, then great.

I'm not sure that our versions differ.

> But for me, prioritizing useful over right, begs the question of what useful means, and who gets to define it.

The other party, generally. What I meant by "being useful" is to begin with finding out what the other person needs. What problem are they actually trying to solve? It could be a technical problem different from what they came to me with. It could be that they just wanted to vent and relate something (in which case it totally is not helpful to point out many of the (e.g. technical) mistakes they made in their narration). Being useful can be something different from all of the above.

My point was that when the focus is on being useful, you are more likely to ask yourself "How do I know my behavior/response is actually helping them?"

One can easily be right and yet not solve anyone's problem.

I find this an interesting conversation, but don't want to continue it in public.

If you want to take it offline, my email is in my profile.