I agree, before I buy software or start using something I will search on HN for threads like this to see what criticisms others have and what alternatives other

I agree, before I buy software or start using something I will search on HN for threads like this to see what criticisms others have and what alternatives other people use. Many times I will find something with the same features but cheaper or open source. If people stopped making comments recommending alternatives, similar things, and criticisms I probably wouldn't even look at the comments. I don't know if other people use HN like this, but it's the main reason the comments on here are valuable for me.