Isn't the idea of searching first to avoid starting new questions when reasonably possible?

No, the idea is to find answers to your own questions :)

If the old thread doesn't answer your question, you create a new one, and say:

I got this question ... saw this old related thread ( [id://104789] ), but it doesn't answer my question exactly

In my mind, this wasn't a new question, it was a continuation of a discussion I'd found.

This is common , but consider the dates.

Hofmator, whom you asked a question, hasn't visited perlmonks in 5 years.

The discussion you continued is 10+ years old.

Sure any one of the perlmonks could notice your node and reply, but only Hofmator is guaranteed to notice, if he returns and has /msg me when a reply arrives turned on:) and as you've noticed, it isn't the same as asking all the perlmonks for help, all you got was me :)

necromancy tends to fly under the radar , I try to hunt for these things :)