Huh? All content on the site is CC licensed. You agree to allow your content to be released under CC when you sign up for the site. It's perfectly reasonable to discuss things in the terms of CC.

There's nothing dubious about this legally at all.

Like EULAs, license agreements, ToS's, etc.

I prefer how YouTube handles it[1]:

“You shall be solely responsible for your own Content and the consequences of submitting and publishing your Content on the Service. You affirm, represent, and warrant that you own or have the necessary licenses, rights, consents, and permissions to publish Content you submit; and you license to YouTube all patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright or other proprietary rights in and to such Content for publication on the Service pursuant to these Terms of Service.

For clarity, you retain all of your ownership rights in your Content. However, by submitting Content to YouTube, you hereby grant YouTube a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicenseable and transferable license to use, reproduce, distribute, prepare derivative works of, display, and perform the Content in connection with the Service and YouTube's (and its successors' and affiliates') business, including without limitation for promoting and redistributing part or all of the Service (and derivative works thereof) in any media formats and through any media channels. You also hereby grant each user of the Service a non-exclusive license to access your Content through the Service, and to use, reproduce, distribute, display and perform such Content as permitted through the functionality of the Service and under these Terms of Service. The above licenses granted by you in video Content you submit to the Service terminate within a commercially reasonable time after you remove or delete your videos from the Service. You understand and agree, however, that YouTube may retain, but not display, distribute, or perform, server copies of your videos that have been removed or deleted. The above licenses granted by you in user comments you submit are perpetual and irrevocable.”

[1]: https://www.youtube.com/t/terms

(Can someone tell me the <pre> syntax or something appropriate for a blockquote?)

> (Can someone tell me the <pre> syntax or something appropriate for a blockquote?)

    prefix with four spaces

There used to be a help button next to the text box for replies. Where has it gone?!

I don't know, but here's the link: http://news.ycombinator.com/formatdoc

Hmm, I indented it, before I submitted it, but maybe that's not supported, or Sublime Text doesn't indent by four spaces.

Regardless, thanks for the tip.

That's how YouTube does it, because YouTube is a channel for individuals to share their own content. Wikipedia, on the other hand, requires CC-BY-SA/GFDL licensing, because Wikipedia is a project to develop a knowledge base.

The question is whether StackOverflow is closer to YouTube or Wikipedia. I think it's closer to Wikipedia because it's a curated reference source, not just a medium for self-expression.

I know where you're coming from, but I'd rather say that Wikipedia articles have editors, not authors.

The articles are in a constant flux of change, and I don't know if anyone deserves more attribution than others for contributing to an article.

Knoll might be a more relevant example, but I haven't really checked it out in a while. (Who has, really.)