Dangerous territory, here :) To be very clear, this is my speculation on what's going on in other people's minds. It can be useful to think about (as it's an exercise in empathy) but often dangerous to explicitly list everything publicly, as one has to evaluate charitable and uncharitable readings, and in general expressing the uncharitable ones, while realistic, tend to draw the most attention (it's just human nature), and in effective communication one should strive to act on the charitable interpretations while seeking to avoid the uncharitable ones. So, please be gentle ;)
The primary issue I see here is that it's an iPhone thread on the day of an announcement. Emotions are going to be even higher than normal and I always take extra care when entering such waters. I remind myself that effective communication takes two parties, and this particular ground is already seeded with land mines.
Questions I'd ask myself, even of facts:
Is this worth saying? Does it add to the discussion? How much does it add to the discussion even if I am able to couch it in the best possible way? Am I correcting someone? How do people react to correction, even if I'm right? What is the reaction to the least charitable reading of what I'm posting? Am I on topic (both in the subthread and the submission)?
Putting on my most uncharitable hat here, I'd say this subthread starting with 'xvolter's comment was doomed from the start.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15230968
It can be read as nitpicky, needlessly negative, and incendiary (likely to evoke a strong, defensive emotional response). The lead-in "Are they aware" can be read as very condescending. I haven't read up on the iPhone release, but I suspect Apple used the phrase "surgical steel" to describe some component of the iPhone. To take them to task for that is pedantic. It's marketing speak. You have to expect some level of exaggeration. Even if it's technically correct, what is this correction going to contribute to the thread on iPhone X? Is it likely to create constructive discussion? From what I've observed, some HN members will down-vote such comments and those in the subthread even if they're correct because it's not constructive to the overall discussion. And flame wars not only are destructive in their own thread, they tend to poison the entire forum as it promotes needless argumentation. Don't get me wrong: it's easy to get caught up in such a thread, thinking "Look, once I point out this, it'll be resolved. It's just a clarification. I'm just trying to help." I know, because I've been there.
Also note that even if this is not exactly what was going on in any one down-voter's head, it's useful in that it gets me thinking about how it might be received and generally how I can improve my comment—which might mean not commenting at all.
To put this even more personally, thoughts that have been going through my mind while composing this post:
- Gosh, this is getting long. I'd really like to tighten it up. Is it worth the effort? How much time should I take reviewing and editing it before posting? (After writing but before posting I'll be sure to review the entire comment, but I know I'm not going to tighten it up much because I'm tired.)
- What I've written can easily be misconstrued, particularly because I've written things that are uncharitable, even though I've put in the disclaimer that's what I'm doing on purpose as an exercise. It's late, and I know I haven't thought through everything or the entire thing very thoroughly. I know that in and of itself opens it up to misunderstanding. Are people going to misread what I've written because I've left something out? Is the possibility of that miscommunication greater than the value the post is contributing?
- I'm particularly concerned about my explicit, uncharitable reading of 'xvolter's comment and the response to the entire subthread. Is it necessary to include this for my comment as a whole to be effective? Can I write the comment while excluding it? How much time would that take? I'm leaving it in because I think it is useful and on balance, really, what does it matter in this single instance? (But it does matter, on some level. It's a reflection on me.)
I'll end up clicking "reply" because I think you've put yourself out there and sound like you're sincerely looking to improve your writing, and that's worth the effort. I also think that it's clear that my intent is clear and good, and I'm know I myself am still learning: if there's some negative reaction to this, I'll take that and use it to improve my writing next time. I certainly know I've got more to learn :)
In sum: it's a volatile submission, it's an off-topic subthread, and getting involved is fraught with danger.
Wow. Did I really need all of those words if that short summary is all there is to it?