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  • 9
    If someone writing good content is driven off by people stealing it and getting the credit, there won't be as many great answers (I doubt this happens often, but it's certainly plausible) Commented Jun 28, 2012 at 15:46
  • @MichaelMrozek: Stealing is orthogonal to this. Commented Jun 28, 2012 at 15:51
  • 6
    @sbi How? It's the whole motivation for the request Commented Jun 28, 2012 at 15:53
  • 4
    The motivation of the request is two-fold: (1) thwarting plagiarism, or at least taking a step toward making it less attractive (2) avoiding duplicate answers. This isn't about rep. I have 40K on SO, do you really think I care about 10 points that someone got because they copied my answer? Nope. I care that there are two identical answers and one was not original. The TIMESTAMP issue I mention here is because of the extra attention an answer gets because it is earlier - even though it's earlier version was crap. Commented Jun 28, 2012 at 15:57
  • 1
    @Aaron: I have deleted many answers of mine because someone else's was better. Or I have helped them to get improved by pointing at missing facts in comments. I lost interest in the rep game the moment I hit 10k. Now, my foremost concern is with getting good answers. I don't care how they come into existence. Commented Jun 28, 2012 at 16:04
  • 9
    @sbi Even if it was plagiarism? And if the current system makes that easier to hide? Commented Jun 28, 2012 at 16:15
  • 8
    I do not believe that the end justifies the means. I do not believe that dishonesty should be rewarded. Commented Jun 28, 2012 at 16:29
  • 2
    @JonH: I am glad you explained yourself so exhaustive that I can so well relate to your opinion. Commented Jun 28, 2012 at 22:40
  • 5
    If someone takes the time to write an outstanding answer, taking care to test and get references, asking only acknowledgement (not rep) for this work, only to have that answer appended to the first answer, I do not think it will encourage that person to supply an outstanding answer the next time. It is against human nature to be completely selfless in the face of complete selfishness. Commented Jun 29, 2012 at 10:34
  • 1
    @Remou: If you would be right about this (which you aren't, because even chimps show selflessness), then the whole idea of Q&A forums would be flawed, because people wouldn't give answers without getting anything back. Yet, Usenet is >20 years old, many other forums without explicit rep exist, and people get answers in SO's chat, where there is no rep to be gained from answering them. Commented Jun 29, 2012 at 10:40
  • 5
    @sbi if you would please read over all of my comments on this page, you will realize that I do not want to track every single edit. And I will insist again that this is not about rep. Commented Jun 29, 2012 at 10:58
  • 7
    sbi I don't need to explain myself. Downvotes on meta mean "I don't agree with you."...and after reading your post I simply don't agree with you. You find plagirism ok, I don't. Commented Jun 29, 2012 at 11:45
  • 1
    @sbi also, for clarity, nowhere did I ask you to compile anything. I asked you to convince me how this proposal would make your SO experience worse. You've added a lot of words to your answer, but you still haven't convinced me. Partly because it's mostly based on arguing against things that neither the proposal nor I have suggested will happen (the nonsense about reading every minor edit). Even if that were what I were after (I'll repeat again, it's not), what % of your SO time is really spent reviewing answer edits? Be honest. Commented Jun 29, 2012 at 12:04
  • 2
    @Aaron: What is that now, a you-haven't-read-my-comments bitch fest? I have read every single one of your dozens of comments in this fred. I am not going to re-read them again, trying to think which of them you might consider a reply to my compiled argument. If you have something to say relating to my argument, just say so. HAND. Commented Jun 29, 2012 at 12:13
  • 5
    sbi - I think the updated title clarifies what this is really requesting. "Make first draft of a new answer part of the permanent revision history" - He's just suggesting that whatever you put as your initial answer be your first revision, always. Edits during the 5 minute interval following that are rolled up into one revision, as usual. Subsequent edits would also behave as they do now. It's just that there would be a permement record of your original answer. I hope this clears up some of the confusion =) Commented Jun 29, 2012 at 12:32