I personally use custom CSS to make the dimmed comments black when I hover them, so I can more easily read them if I so choose. I don't really have an issue wi

I personally use custom CSS to make the dimmed comments black when I hover them, so I can more easily read them if I so choose. I don't really have an issue with comment dimming. It shows that a significant number of users find the comment to be more noise than signal, so that those who wish to avoid such can do so easily. I think I've seen some pre-collapsed threads here as well... specifically ones where an HN administrator has taken some sort of action and commented on that.