rxu wrote: "Hmm. I'd say that deleting is the ultimate measure of editing"
How so? How can two, and let me emphasize this again, separate permissions, be considered the same permission? Because that is what you are saying with that comment.

rxu wrote: "If you're not allowed even to edit the post, how could you be allowed to delete it at all?"
For regular non-mod/admin users the 'can delete your posts' permission allows you to delete a post that has no replies yet. The 'can edit your posts' permission has nothing to do with deleting, the allowed time can be infinite or a few short minutes up to days to allow for revision of an existing post, regardless of whether it has a reply or not. As an admin I personally allow deleting of posts because I view a users posts as their own intellectual property. Also as an admin, I generally see no value in imposing an edit limit time unless there is an issue with posters abusing the edit permission to go back and violate the integrity of a topic once a discussion is under way. I.e. someone posts, someone replies based on comments made in the first post without quoting, the first poster then goes back and edits the original post in such as way as to invalidate the reply. Topic integrity, see what I mean? So I decide to set a 5 minute time limit on editing your own posts to offset this issue. Why should that editing time limit override the delete permission I have granted another user who posted but has yet to receive a reply, if for whatever reason they wish to delete their post? There is no topic integrity to maintain when there is no reply, and when there is a reply the delete permission is removed as expected. Again, one should have nothing to do with the other.