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I've been here and on Reddit (I remember that exact post of yours on Reddit) for years and I've had the same realization after going over old threads. I think t

I've been here and on Reddit (I remember that exact post of yours on Reddit) for years and I've had the same realization after going over old threads. I think that while the quality and meanness haven't changed much here on HN, there has been a marked shift away from "hard tech" content. For example, the article posted the other day about suicide in Greenland wouldn't have been posted here years ago. It was an interesting read and a thought provoking discussion but it doesn't fall in the realm of hacker news.

Tomte 10y ago
But it does.
coldtea 10y ago
>For example, the article posted the other day about suicide in Greenland wouldn't have been posted here years ago. Really? Top articles from 2 random months in 2010: http://www.economist.com/node/16636027?story_id=16636027 http://www.economist.com/node/16636027?story_id=16636027 http://www.damninteresting.com/the-american-gustation-crisis-of-1985/ http://www.damninteresting.com/the-american-gustation-crisis... http://archive.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/08/russia_in_color_a_century_ago.html http://archive.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/08/russia_in_color... http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/dispatches/2010/08/the_most_isolated_man_on_the_planet.html http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/dispatches/2... http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/12/science/earth/12suburb.html?_r=2&em http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/12/science/earth/12suburb.htm... http://mentalfloss.com/article/18692/he-took-polaroid-every-day-until-day-he-died http://mentalfloss.com/article/18692/he-took-polaroid-every-... http://ruhlman.com/2010/09/so-you-wanna-be-a-chef%E2%80%94-by-bourdain-2/ http://ruhlman.com/2010/09/so-you-wanna-be-a-chef%E2%80%94-b...
DanBC 10y ago
> It was an interesting read and a thought provoking discussion but it doesn't fall in the realm of hacker news. You're a hacker, and you found it "interesting" and the discussion was "thought provoking", so by the guidelines (which have been in place for very many years) it is solidly on topic for HN. Here's a thread from pg from 8 years ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=128439 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=128439 "Ad exec driven to suicide (partly) by trolls (nytimes.com)" Part of the reason you're seeing more discussion of suicide and mental health is because we're seeing less stigma and less taboo around these subjects.
ap22213 10y ago
The content has become much more 'mainstream'. I think this is partly because over the last 10 years they're a been a popular culture fetishization of startups and entrepreneurship, and ycombinator in general has become much more widely known. I keep coming back but less so than in the past. I think the site has shifted a little away from my central interests.

Tomte 10y ago

But it does.

coldtea 10y ago

>For example, the article posted the other day about suicide in Greenland wouldn't have been posted here years ago. Really? Top articles from 2 random months in 2010: http://www.economist.com/node/16636027?story_id=16636027 http://www.economist.com/node/16636027?story_id=16636027 http://www.damninteresting.com/the-american-gustation-crisis-of-1985/ http://www.damninteresting.com/the-american-gustation-crisis... http://archive.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/08/russia_in_color_a_century_ago.html http://archive.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/08/russia_in_color... http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/dispatches/2010/08/the_most_isolated_man_on_the_planet.html http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/dispatches/2... http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/12/science/earth/12suburb.html?_r=2&em http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/12/science/earth/12suburb.htm... http://mentalfloss.com/article/18692/he-took-polaroid-every-day-until-day-he-died http://mentalfloss.com/article/18692/he-took-polaroid-every-... http://ruhlman.com/2010/09/so-you-wanna-be-a-chef%E2%80%94-by-bourdain-2/ http://ruhlman.com/2010/09/so-you-wanna-be-a-chef%E2%80%94-b...

DanBC 10y ago

> It was an interesting read and a thought provoking discussion but it doesn't fall in the realm of hacker news. You're a hacker, and you found it "interesting" and the discussion was "thought provoking", so by the guidelines (which have been in place for very many years) it is solidly on topic for HN. Here's a thread from pg from 8 years ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=128439 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=128439 "Ad exec driven to suicide (partly) by trolls (nytimes.com)" Part of the reason you're seeing more discussion of suicide and mental health is because we're seeing less stigma and less taboo around these subjects.

ap22213 10y ago

The content has become much more 'mainstream'. I think this is partly because over the last 10 years they're a been a popular culture fetishization of startups and entrepreneurship, and ycombinator in general has become much more widely known. I keep coming back but less so than in the past. I think the site has shifted a little away from my central interests.