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I visit HN every day and I am either dumb or missed something but I had no idea why the black bar was at the top. I assumed it was an error. Unless you know wh

I visit HN every day and I am either dumb or missed something but I had no idea why the black bar was at the top. I assumed it was an error. Unless you know what it is, it's really not obvious at all. A flag at half-mast is a commonly known thing, someone important died. A 5 pixel black bar at the top of a site is not used anywhere but here.

raldi 11y ago
C'mon, "no idea"? There are three mentions of Andy Grove on the front page right now, and there's been at least one the entire time that the bar's been up.
- dubcanada 11y ago
  I can assume lots of things raldi. I could also assume it's because of Brussels, but I would be wrong. I could assume it's because of a mudslid, still wrong. Regardless of what you say it's not obvious... If it was there wouldn't be this thread.
  - fosco 11y ago
    I initially assumed the bar was for Brussels as well until reading further and then felt a bit silly. I am aware of what the black bar represents however it is not always consistently used. for example, Ian Murdock who I consider to have a great impact on GNU/Linux in general was not given one after his passing.
    - FreeFull 11y ago
      I definitely believe Ian Murdock was deserving of a black bar as well. Debian is one of the most widely used Linux distributions.
- bmoresbest55 11y ago
  I know that this site does not deal in current events outside the tech/startup community but my first thought was an error. My second thought was the Brussels bombings. I did not know who Andy Grove. I now know he was a significant figure in the community but the black bar did clearly state that to me. In general, I don't think that some background information on the person takes away from their significance.
- ryporter 11y ago
  I just showed up, and I assumed it was due to the attacks on Brussels. Currently, the #5 post is "Safety Check for Brussels." It makes more sense that it's for Andy Grove, now that I think about it, but I agree with others that a small amount of text could help clarify things.
  - alistairSH 11y ago
    I also assumed it was related to Brussels. I did know Grove passed away, but I didn't notice the bar yesterday. I only noticed it this morning, so it was associated to Brussels in my mind.
- slantyyz 11y ago
  The problem is that the black bar isn't always there when someone "significant to the HN community dies". The black bar is an admin/moderator decision, and because it's not applied to all front page deaths, it's hard for headline skimmers to associate the black bar with a consistent pattern. That is why the black bar confused me - it's when the black bar isn't there that throws me off, because it makes me doubt the assumption that someone died.
Lagged2Death 11y ago
A 5 pixel black bar at the top of a site is not used anywhere but here. Insularity, exclusion and gradually-learned shared secrets and customs are one of the ways communities define, distinguish, and stabilize themselves.
- mfukar 11y ago
  Yeah, a 5px black bar isn't gonna bring us any closer.
- dave2000 11y ago
  I agree with all that; I just didn't notice the black bar. I surf almost exclusively on mobile though, and therefore have extremely low expectations.
- st3v3r 11y ago
  No. That's just an excuse for being lazy.
  - raldi 11y ago
    42!
proactivesvcs 11y ago
I noticed it and didn't know what it was. Now that I do, I feel that leaving it simple, akin to a flag at half mast, is more fitting than any functionality.
techthroway443 11y ago
>Unless you know what it is, it's really not obvious at all. You either know what it means or you don't. Did you know what a flag at half-mast meant the first time you saw it too? You learn what it means and move on.
e12e 11y ago
> A 5 pixel black bar at the top of a site is not used anywhere but here. I recall black bars being used on various sites, although usually not for individuals. Similar to black mourning bands worn on clothing, or how sometimes newspapers will print black front pages. Black isn't a universal colour for death and mourning across cultures of course, but it is rather universal in western cultures at least. At any rate, as I mentioned in another comment, I'm glad people ask when they don't know. And I'm not convinced having a link to an obituary wouldn't be a good thing, but apparently some people feel strongly against it.

raldi 11y ago

C'mon, "no idea"? There are three mentions of Andy Grove on the front page right now, and there's been at least one the entire time that the bar's been up.

dubcanada 11y ago
I can assume lots of things raldi. I could also assume it's because of Brussels, but I would be wrong. I could assume it's because of a mudslid, still wrong. Regardless of what you say it's not obvious... If it was there wouldn't be this thread.
- fosco 11y ago
  I initially assumed the bar was for Brussels as well until reading further and then felt a bit silly. I am aware of what the black bar represents however it is not always consistently used. for example, Ian Murdock who I consider to have a great impact on GNU/Linux in general was not given one after his passing.
  - FreeFull 11y ago
    I definitely believe Ian Murdock was deserving of a black bar as well. Debian is one of the most widely used Linux distributions.
bmoresbest55 11y ago
I know that this site does not deal in current events outside the tech/startup community but my first thought was an error. My second thought was the Brussels bombings. I did not know who Andy Grove. I now know he was a significant figure in the community but the black bar did clearly state that to me. In general, I don't think that some background information on the person takes away from their significance.
ryporter 11y ago
I just showed up, and I assumed it was due to the attacks on Brussels. Currently, the #5 post is "Safety Check for Brussels." It makes more sense that it's for Andy Grove, now that I think about it, but I agree with others that a small amount of text could help clarify things.
- alistairSH 11y ago
  I also assumed it was related to Brussels. I did know Grove passed away, but I didn't notice the bar yesterday. I only noticed it this morning, so it was associated to Brussels in my mind.
slantyyz 11y ago
The problem is that the black bar isn't always there when someone "significant to the HN community dies". The black bar is an admin/moderator decision, and because it's not applied to all front page deaths, it's hard for headline skimmers to associate the black bar with a consistent pattern. That is why the black bar confused me - it's when the black bar isn't there that throws me off, because it makes me doubt the assumption that someone died.

Lagged2Death 11y ago

A 5 pixel black bar at the top of a site is not used anywhere but here. Insularity, exclusion and gradually-learned shared secrets and customs are one of the ways communities define, distinguish, and stabilize themselves.

mfukar 11y ago
Yeah, a 5px black bar isn't gonna bring us any closer.
dave2000 11y ago
I agree with all that; I just didn't notice the black bar. I surf almost exclusively on mobile though, and therefore have extremely low expectations.
st3v3r 11y ago
No. That's just an excuse for being lazy.
- raldi 11y ago
  42!

proactivesvcs 11y ago

I noticed it and didn't know what it was. Now that I do, I feel that leaving it simple, akin to a flag at half mast, is more fitting than any functionality.

techthroway443 11y ago

>Unless you know what it is, it's really not obvious at all. You either know what it means or you don't. Did you know what a flag at half-mast meant the first time you saw it too? You learn what it means and move on.

e12e 11y ago

> A 5 pixel black bar at the top of a site is not used anywhere but here. I recall black bars being used on various sites, although usually not for individuals. Similar to black mourning bands worn on clothing, or how sometimes newspapers will print black front pages. Black isn't a universal colour for death and mourning across cultures of course, but it is rather universal in western cultures at least. At any rate, as I mentioned in another comment, I'm glad people ask when they don't know. And I'm not convinced having a link to an obituary wouldn't be a good thing, but apparently some people feel strongly against it.