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Ask HN: How do you read and follow the discussions on big threads?
41–50 of 85 posts
Re: Ask HN: How do you read and follow the discussions on big threads?
#42These days I plug the article into https://kulli.sh which aggregates all the comments across HN, Lemmy, Lobsters, Reddit etc. into a single feed which I can quickly filter by source, discussions or order reverse chronologically. When I've had enough of a particular comment thread or source, I click/tap to minimize it and continue with the next one. I like having all the comments on an article in one place, not just f…
Sounds like a great aggregator but the poor site is getting slammed
Re: Ask HN: How do you read and follow the discussions on big threads?
#43A mouse with a scroll wheel and all the comments fully expanded on one page and a high-resolution monitor showing lots of lines of text at once.
The page-down button is a distant second. I find using a laptop without a scroll-wheel mouse mildly displeasing. A laptop with a screen that can show a quarter of the amount of text that my desktop PC can do is infuriating.
Are you trying to read long threads on a smartphone or tablet, pawing at the touchscreen with your finger?
Re: Ask HN: How do you read and follow the discussions on big threads?
#44It took me a while to realize that there is a "prev" and a "next" button next to every comment. It makes navigation much easier when there are long threads. Using [-]/[+] is another option. If the problem is just the sheer amount of data and not navigation, you can simply bookmark the thread and come back later. The algorithm usually does a good job getting the best comments on top after things have settled down, jus…
That's what i ended up doing after i wrote the post. I was reading every parent comment as something different on the same topic and when i finished or wasn't interesting to me i minimized it the [-] button.
Re: Ask HN: How do you read and follow the discussions on big threads?
#45It took me a while to realize that there is a "prev" and a "next" button next to every comment. It makes navigation much easier when there are long threads. Using [-]/[+] is another option. If the problem is just the sheer amount of data and not navigation, you can simply bookmark the thread and come back later. The algorithm usually does a good job getting the best comments on top after things have settled down, jus…
(It’s not entirely an algorithm, it’s also human curation.)
I wonder if we could train DangGPT that would reliably replicate dang's curation and moderation decisions (as distinct from just talking like him).
Re: Ask HN: How do you read and follow the discussions on big threads?
#46Tree structures suck for that. Linear style all the way.
Tree structures are the only way it remains manageable at all, IMHO. No tree = no structure = no way to skip forwards.
It depends on the size of the community in my experience. Old school bulletin board style fitting are great once trolls and manic megaposters are kept under control but if they've too few users they tend to die and if they've too many they become impossible to follow
Re: Ask HN: How do you read and follow the discussions on big threads?
#47Tree structures suck for that. Linear style all the way.
Tree structures are the only way it remains manageable at all, IMHO. No tree = no structure = no way to skip forwards.
Trees devolve into a 1on1 discussion, also other branches can have the same discussion, leading to redundant arguments.
You can have a tree, but only 1 branch is allowed for efficient discussions. Like every sane forum software does, be it phpbb, vbulletin, xenforo ...
Re: Ask HN: How do you read and follow the discussions on big threads?
#48Earlier quoted context omitted.
Tree structures are the only way it remains manageable at all, IMHO. No tree = no structure = no way to skip forwards.
Trees devolve into a 1on1 discussion, also other branches can have the same discussion, leading to redundant arguments. You can have a tree, but only 1 branch is allowed for efficient discussions. Like every sane forum software does, be it phpbb, vbulletin, xenforo ...
You mean insane; every sane discussion place looks more like subreddit (or, often enough, is a subreddit).
> Trees devolve into a 1on1 discussion, also other branches can have the same discussion, leading to redundant arguments.
1 on 1 is a feature, as it's never truly 1 on 1 - anyone can jump in instead of just listening to the conversation.
As for other branches having the same discussion, the solution is the opposite of what you're proposing: instead of flattening tree structure into a line, embrace the nature of any discussion (or knowledge accumulation effort) and make it a directed graph. I'm yet to see it done in production (outside 4chan maybe), but that's the right way.
Or, you can just ignore the problem and let people having their redundant discussion. It's better than what all those flat forums you mention tend to do: closing topics with aggressive admonition to use a search feature (which is near-universally broken anyway).
Re: Ask HN: How do you read and follow the discussions on big threads?
#49[dead]