Deleting the golang subreddit • Hacker News Board

Re: Deleting the golang subreddit

#291

Post by eridius » Fri, Nov 25, 2016, 9:13 PM UTC

forgetsusername wrote: post #257

eridius wrote: post #249

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The power has always been there. The fact that it's taken until now for the CEO to use it suggests that it's not actually ripe for abuse. And the fact that the CEO immediately reverted it, apologized, and is watching the community blow up, serves as even further motivation for not abusing this power again.

> The fact that it's taken until now for the CEO to use it suggests that it's not actually ripe for abuse. And you know this how, exactly? Because the perpetrator said so? I find the scenario that this was the first and only time this was done implausible.

Because nobody's even hinted that this has been done before. When someone's comments are edited, that person can see it[1], as can anyone who remembers the comment pre-edit. Add to that the fact that comments that are worth editing (beyond the rather unimportant "fuck u/spez" type of comment) are also presumably highly visible, it would be pretty hard for them to have a history of editing comments without someone having noticed before now.

[1] Modifying Reddit software to let them hide the edit from the comment author would be visible to anyone with source access, meaning it can't be done without the support of all of their developers, and so probably wasn't.

Re: Deleting the golang subreddit

#292

Post by hhsnopek » Fri, Nov 25, 2016, 9:21 PM UTC

Lets just remove left-pad from npm while we're at it again

Re: Deleting the golang subreddit

#293

Post by sangnoir » Fri, Nov 25, 2016, 9:22 PM UTC

xg15 wrote: post #142

shadowmint wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Then leave. Don't use the site. How is this a big deal? If you're not comfortable with a platform then by every means, don't use it. ...but why does what you think mean that everyone should be affected?

Network effect. If only few people leave, each of them has to face a penalty for leaving (in this case not being able to participate in one of Go's main discussion hubs). If the whole community decides to leave (or rather move), there is no such penalty.

This would be selfish, coercive and has 0 chance of working in the real world: I guarantee you there will be /r/golang2 or /r/gogophers within minutes of the the original subreddit being closed.

As mentioned by someone else in the thread: the subreddit was in existence before being taken over by the golang team, it was fine before them, it will be fine after them if they choose to leave.

Re: Deleting the golang subreddit

#294

Post by jsprogrammer » Fri, Nov 25, 2016, 9:23 PM UTC

dang wrote: post #254

jsprogrammer wrote: post #95

The CEO of Google was busted by his emails for conspiring to suppress wages. WikiLeaks recently released a 2014 email[1] from Eric where he appears to conspire with the Clinton campaign/dnc to have "low paid permanent employees". [1] https://wikileaks.org/podesta-emails/emailid/37262 E: bots are out?

We detached this subthread from https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13037590 and marked it off-topic.

Wow, you're back and altering my content again?

How is the sub thread not relevant?

It was a direct, positive example of what the person I replied to claimed.

At least make an actual claim, dang.

Edit: and https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13037766 still stands

#comedysite

Re: Deleting the golang subreddit

#295

Post by jsprogrammer » Fri, Nov 25, 2016, 9:23 PM UTC

qb45 wrote: post #226

jsprogrammer wrote: post #204

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The comment has everything to do with editing content. Schmidt was effectively convicted on the content of his emails. I don't think Schmidt was able to edit an email used in that case. It is a positive example of what the poster I responded to was claiming. Additionally, this CEO (now of Alphabet) has continued to engage in seemingly illegal behavior over Google email. I'm not aware of Eric disputing any of these al…

Then you should have made it clear what you meant because your post looks like a completely offtopic rant.

Perhaps you thought that.

Others saw something different.

Re: Deleting the golang subreddit

#296

Post by sangnoir » Fri, Nov 25, 2016, 9:27 PM UTC

010a wrote: post #237

freehunter wrote: post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Closing /r/golang would only hurt the people who subscribe to /r/golang, which is probably not /u/spez. If I'm mad at the US president, burning down my house isn't an effective protest and would hurt basically everyone but the president.

Moving your community to another platform which has a better history of respecting their users isn't metaphorically similar to burning your house down. Its more like immigrating to Canada because Trump won.

> Moving your community to another platform

A) the community does not belong to the golang team, the subreddit originally existed independently of the golang team. B) The community is not a piece of furniture to be moved at will; they have to choose to move.

If they do proceed with this (say they take a vote), the best they can hope for is fragmenting the community between Reddit and Voat or whatever.

Re: Deleting the golang subreddit

#297

Post by sqeaky » Fri, Nov 25, 2016, 9:28 PM UTC

freehunter wrote: post #272

sqeaky wrote: post #267

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There has to be a less destructive way than to simply delete the subreddit, perhaps put up a date that new post will be disallowed and links to other official Forums. Then when posts are no longer allowed, leave a read only copy up for some time, then leave nothing but the links to other communities.

Why even disallow new posts? What's the point? It's not an official support forum, he shouldn't have the right to shut down a community site and bar people from using it.

Many people not be aware of the issue and the network effect would have those people stay, despite the most talented leaders of the Go community leaving.

It stops being a community it the non-experts are separated from the experts by inaction of the experts.

If someone really likes Reddit that much, let make another go language sub.

Re: Deleting the golang subreddit

#298

Post by LordFrith » Fri, Nov 25, 2016, 9:30 PM UTC

sqeaky wrote: post #271

Simple question. What happens if spez modifies comments you put on Reddit in the ancient past to make you seem like a Racist, ISIS supporter, Homophobe, or simply puts threats to various heads of state in your name? Can you really trust him not do to so? What if one day he decides that golang is bad because they are badmouthing something that spez really likes?

Go through the comment histories of frequent posters to /r/The_Donald .

It would be extremely hard to make any of them look 'bad'. They relish being as... deplorable as possible.

Re: Deleting the golang subreddit

#299

Post by evanws » Fri, Nov 25, 2016, 9:32 PM UTC

canttestthis wrote: post #284

bradfitz wrote: post #235

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, that's what I learned too. That was before my time.

Did you learn it by scrolling down on the front page and looking at the text below the list of moderators? I sincerely hope you aren't trusted to run a public community ever again if your first reaction is to start an off-site proposal to shut a community down.

Dude, calm down. That's why he didn't just do it without getting input from others.

You can't reasonably expect someone to never have gaps in their knowledge.

Re: Deleting the golang subreddit

#300

Post by endgame » Fri, Nov 25, 2016, 9:39 PM UTC

bradfitz wrote: post #87

I was the one who proposed deleting /r/golang. It is not some official Go or Google position. As much as I used to love Reddit and was addicted to it, my personal position is that Reddit is no longer a trustworthy platform (if it ever was). Editing user content is beyond offensive. I never even considered such a thing in my years of running LiveJournal. That is a major violation of user trust and trust in the platfor…

Agreed with the above, but also: in this world of "free" services (where the users are farmed like honeybees), voting with one's feet is about the only way to send a message that a company will actually listen to.

I see no problem with individuals leaving, and I see no problem with advocating a shutdown or at least encouraging other people to leave. Work out what the community wants, and go from there.

(I don't use go, but from my personal "this cannot be allowed to stand" perspective: I would love to see communities that are _not_ about hot-button topics stand up and walk out.)