This discussion really has nothing to do with the topic at hand. It's possible to veer off-topic in a substantive way. Some of the more interesting HN comments

This discussion really has nothing to do with the topic at hand. It's possible to veer off-topic in a substantive way. Some of the more interesting HN comments have been spawned that way. Whether subsequent comments will be high-quality depends on the topic and the amount of energy thrown into the conversation, but fresh perspectives are good as long as people are introducing them productively. Threads like this shouldn't be auto-collapsed. One of the main reasons people write quality responses in an off-topic conversation is because it will be seen. Take away the eyeballs and you take away the quality.