The number of comments has been growing significantly; perhaps change won't be bad.
Poll: The new HN comment system – agree, disagree, or wait and see?
11–20 of 157 posts
Re: Poll: The new HN comment system – agree, disagree, or wait and see?
#12I suggest another option: wait to see what it's like.
That being said, I think people are especially worried that if it's a bad change, it won't be reverted or tinkered with in a timely manner. HN has a (deserved, I think...) reputation for being unresponsive to user feedback.
Re: Poll: The new HN comment system – agree, disagree, or wait and see?
#13I suggest another option: wait to see what it's like.
I think it would be great to have some sort of "Beta HN" where whoever is taking over HN could try out all sorts of new features before they become adopted into the main HN site.
Re: Poll: The new HN comment system – agree, disagree, or wait and see?
#14I suggest another option: wait to see what it's like.
Re: Poll: The new HN comment system – agree, disagree, or wait and see?
#15Re: Poll: The new HN comment system – agree, disagree, or wait and see?
#16Only 38.5% of users were in favor of comment scores being hidden, but it was decidedly a positive change for the site.
Re: Poll: The new HN comment system – agree, disagree, or wait and see?
#17Re: Poll: The new HN comment system – agree, disagree, or wait and see?
#18Remember when a chorus said hiding comment scores would be the end of HN?
The relative score is all that matters, and a comment's position on the page tells you all you need to know.
Re: Poll: The new HN comment system – agree, disagree, or wait and see?
#19I suggest another option: wait to see what it's like.
I think this would go a long way to restoring a healthier commenting environment. I also think you should consider taking HN with you as you step back. YC are not appropriately positioned to deal with this problem because 1/2 the startups exploiting HN are YC and the other 1/2 are copying them.