Earlier quoted context omitted.
Hacker News is the craigslist of Social News sites.
But I hate using craigslist. I only use it because I have to.
What do you hate about it?
To Paul Graham
101–110 of 162 posts
Re: To Paul Graham
#102Earlier quoted context omitted.
Tables are still the most reliable way to display content under nearly all circumstances (maybe less so on mobiles, but definitely on the desktop). I don't think that's been true for several years.
Internet Explorer pretty much guarantees that my statement is true.
Your statement pretty much guarantees that I wouldn't want you writing my view layer.
Re: To Paul Graham
#103Thanks very much. I don't think it's really HN's features or lack of them is the attraction for most users though, but the quality of the submissions and comments. So thank you guys. Ironically I've been thinking of adding some variant of following as a way to deal with the increasing volume of comments. I just haven't had time to yet. I did recently (about 3 weeks ago) tweak the algorithm for ranking comments, and t…
There's a Chrome extension for following, thanks to bkudria.
https://chrome.google.com/extensions/detail/mkdhfabjcebcgnpg...
Re: To Paul Graham
#104[deleted]
Re: To Paul Graham
#105Thanks very much. I don't think it's really HN's features or lack of them is the attraction for most users though, but the quality of the submissions and comments. So thank you guys. Ironically I've been thinking of adding some variant of following as a way to deal with the increasing volume of comments. I just haven't had time to yet. I did recently (about 3 weeks ago) tweak the algorithm for ranking comments, and t…
Now it also considers among other things the average comment score of the submitter.
Does this create a rich-get-richer type scenario, where users with high averages get more exposure, thus leading to higher averages?
Re: To Paul Graham
#106Earlier quoted context omitted.
hn's nested threads built with are so simple that they're brilliant. No horizontal scrolling, no flipping between pages, just click "reply" and you're good to go. I don't think s should get undue praise. With s, the code would be easier to read mechanically (for manipulation with Greasemonkey, say) and even though there'd be a little more CSS, the page weight might be reduced a little (I'd have to make a mockup to be…
I disagree. Tables are still the most reliable way to display content under nearly all circumstances (maybe less so on mobiles, but definitely on the desktop). They've been stable for years and years. I went through the hardcore standards phase where I thought it would be the death of my soul if I ever went back to using tables for layout, but then I read a great article (wish I had the link) that struck a chord with…
To anyone that is interested, I found that article I was talking about.
http://www.zurb.com/article/206/tables-not-as-evil-as-you-th...
Re: To Paul Graham
#107Thanks very much. I don't think it's really HN's features or lack of them is the attraction for most users though, but the quality of the submissions and comments. So thank you guys. Ironically I've been thinking of adding some variant of following as a way to deal with the increasing volume of comments. I just haven't had time to yet. I did recently (about 3 weeks ago) tweak the algorithm for ranking comments, and t…
Mr. Graham,
I think we all owe you a great deal of thanks for HN, and I certainly think that we may not share this sentiment enough. Thank you, Mr. Graham. Simplicity in design truly is elegance, and I feel that--sometimes--too much flashy Web 2.0-related cruft tends to distract from the content (as the submitter points out). Certainly the Twitters and Facebooks of today and tomorrow have their uses, but I'm not so sure it's a good thing for society at large that we're moving toward content consumption limited to 140 characters. Worse, when one is so distracted by the interface of a site like Digg--as the submitter mentioned with regards to votes and such--does the visitor cross a dangerous threshold between actually reading/enjoying the content or does it spiral downwards into some sort of meta-evaluation for pseudo-rewards instead of a truly rewarding and educational experience? Me, I think I'll stay here. I don't read news to be entertained.
For me, reading HN truly is a great joy to experience, and I know a great deal of that is in the community you have created. Whenever I click on "comments" from an article, I've grown to expect that I'm going to read through a meaningful chain of conversations and am far less likely to encounter something unpleasant. Aesthetics aside (and these certainly play a significant part of why I like HN--the simplicity is an amazing breath of fresh air), one of the the more qualitative reasons I find HN so much more appealing is the community. It has been my experience that comments generally don't devolve into flamewars, and it is delightful to see that disagreements here remain respectful and substantive. Perhaps part of this is precisely because of the simplicity: Those who come here expecting to be entertained go elsewhere; those who come here to browse meaningful submissions stay and contribute.
I was (and still am, I suppose) a long time reader of Slashdot, but I could never quite get interested in Digg and its kin; they're all effectively modern tabloids with over-sensationalized submissions (this includes Slashdot). HN is an altogether different beast, and it wasn't until about a year ago when a friend of mine directed me to something posted here. I was greatly astounded at the time that, in 2008-2009, there would exist a site that doesn't hide itself behind flashy UIs and simply delivers raw content, bottled at the source. What a breath of fresh air! Make no mistake about it: HN is deceptive. What it might lack in fanciful (and, IMO, obnoxious) features, it more than makes up for in its submissions. When I come here, I know that I'll immediately have access to meaningful content--I won't be distracted by fluff.
My only regret with regards to HN is that I didn't seen the site sooner!
Once again, thank you Mr. Graham.
-- A short-time reader of HN who truly wishes he'd experienced it much earlier on!
Re: To Paul Graham
#108Earlier quoted context omitted.
hn's nested threads built with are so simple that they're brilliant. No horizontal scrolling, no flipping between pages, just click "reply" and you're good to go. I don't think s should get undue praise. With s, the code would be easier to read mechanically (for manipulation with Greasemonkey, say) and even though there'd be a little more CSS, the page weight might be reduced a little (I'd have to make a mockup to be…
I disagree. Tables are still the most reliable way to display content under nearly all circumstances (maybe less so on mobiles, but definitely on the desktop). They've been stable for years and years. I went through the hardcore standards phase where I thought it would be the death of my soul if I ever went back to using tables for layout, but then I read a great article (wish I had the link) that struck a chord with…
>. It said you don't have to avoid tables for certain small situations where it can save you a ton of time and a few headaches.
I am not a front end developer, but I agree to the philosophy to an extent in terms of generic software development.
As software developers, our job is not to thrive for the perfect solution, but writing maintainable, code that we ship. I understand that many people (probably not HN users) take "real artists ship", as an excuse to put ugly unmanageable "hack", which I am not supporting either (infact I think I would be one of the last guys to compromise of code quality), but truth of the matter is, we live in an non-ideal-finite-time-full-of-deadline world, and as every thing has a cost-to-benefit ratio (short and long term). I think as software developers, its a part of out job to judge that cost-to-benefit ratio and if the cost starts to become much for the benefit offered, its time to rethink about software puritanism.
Re: To Paul Graham
#109Re: To Paul Graham
#110Thanks very much. I don't think it's really HN's features or lack of them is the attraction for most users though, but the quality of the submissions and comments. So thank you guys. Ironically I've been thinking of adding some variant of following as a way to deal with the increasing volume of comments. I just haven't had time to yet. I did recently (about 3 weeks ago) tweak the algorithm for ranking comments, and t…
Now it also considers among other things the average comment score of the submitter. Does this create a rich-get-richer type scenario, where users with high averages get more exposure, thus leading to higher averages?
It might. But that's only an issue if the rich don't deserve to get rich.