Link-only answer when content's license is unclear

Question

I came across a blog post that answers an unanswered question. I didn't write that blog post, and I'm not sure about that blog's content license, so I don't want to simply lift the code in an answer. I also know not to write a link-only answer.

That being said, it's a valuable resource and it helped me, so I wrote a comment linking to it.

What would be the best course of action here? Copy / paste the code anyway? Just link to it in a comment, as I did? Do nothing?

The author has a SO account: stackoverflow.com/users/562839/micka%C3%ABl-derriey — PM 2Ring, Commented Jun 3, 2021 at 11:07
No, you can't copy a substantial chunk of text / code without permission. And since there doesn't appear to be a license giving that permission you need to contact the author somehow. Maybe ping him with a comment on one of his related SO answers. Alternatively, his About Me blog page invites contact via Twitter. — PM 2Ring, Commented Jun 3, 2021 at 11:25
Well their blog is hosted on github under an MIT license...: github.com/mderriey/mderriey.github.io (after all, they haven't specified a separate license for the posts in the subfolder) — Nick is tired, Commented Jun 3, 2021 at 11:44
I would say basically just make sure your answer has some value if you imagine it without the link. If the answer is not useful without the link, that is the problem with a link-only answer. — Dave Cousineau, Commented Jun 3, 2021 at 19:54

Gimby · Accepted Answer · 2021-06-04 14:08:09Z

40

Surely you don't need to copy/paste it literally, you can create your own interpretation of the solution and add your own explanation of it to it, then provide the link as attribution and for "further reading".

Answers which are just quotes of text or code from another site and not much else are often not a whole lot more valuable than a link-only answer. They may pass the high level rules of the site but the goal is not to barely make answers fulfil the rules, it's to write good answers. Good answers require a little personal investment.

edited Jun 4, 2021 at 14:08

answered Jun 3, 2021 at 12:04

Gimby

5,2822 gold badges31 silver badges43 bronze badges

10

Good answers require a little personal investment. - I like that, that's a good sentiment.
– zcoop98
Commented Jun 3, 2021 at 16:06
3

It could happen though that the linked material already is so good that even creating one's own interpretation isn't going to be better, just different, maybe worse. For example often enough I see people quoting from official documentation and if the content license allows that, why not. The personal investment is also in finding and presenting good information available elsewhere.
– NoDataDumpNoContribution
Commented Jun 4, 2021 at 9:14
3

@Trilarion even quoting from official documentation should usually come with an explanation why that quote is relevant for this specific case and how. Sometimes official documentation has that exact same question verbatim in FAQ or something, but usually it won't.
– eis
Commented Jun 4, 2021 at 9:59
2

While I agree that personal investment makes for the very best answers, I've still gotten great value from many quote-only answers on this site. So I disagree that quote-only answers are not a whole lot more valuable than a link-only answer. By showing me what part of the linked page matters, and guarding against link rot, they add a great deal of value.
– Wayne Conrad
Commented Jun 4, 2021 at 14:00
1

@WayneConrad Sometimes, sure. I agree it's stated a little too binary. But then again, I must ask you to have mercy and try to read the intention of a post rather than taking the written word literally.
– Gimby
Commented Jun 4, 2021 at 14:06

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