As much as I'm afraid of Facebook turning the internet into a walled garden, this post is pure FUD. The OP complains that "You Can't Delete Messages." Hm, that

As much as I'm afraid of Facebook turning the internet into a walled garden, this post is pure FUD. The OP complains that "You Can't Delete Messages." Hm, that sounds a lot like email. Everyone knows when you hit "send" on your email client you better mean what you wrote. They then complain about how "Non-Facebook Friends Can E-mail You" and their main point seems to be that it's being used as a way to "bully more people into joining." That's an emotionally charged interpretation of a company trying to increase conversion rates. I have a feeling if Facebook were a YC startup they wouldn't be referred to as "bullies" for requiring user accounts. In the "There Are No Subject Lines" section, the OP's main complaint seems to be that without subject lines, email search will become unusable. I don't understand why this would make much of a difference, but I don't think Facebook ever intended to compete with Gmail or Yahoo head on as a robust, productive email client. It's aimed at high school kids who couldn't be bothered with all the bells and whistles of Gmail and are used to viewing their lives in one constant stream, whether it be Facebook's news stream, Twitter, or text messaging. Another lame complaint. The last section is about automatic friendships, which I have misgivings about myself, but I'm one of the rare individuals who thinks Facebook needs to be more open in the way that Twitter is, not more private and restrictive. As a web developer and startup guy, I am just as worried about Facebook taking over the internet and ushering in a new age of walled-gardenism. On the same HN front page I saw this article on, there was another sensationalist headline, "Berners-Lee: Facebook 'threatens' web future", and both that and the headline of this article immediately appeal to my developers instincts. However, I know FUD when I see it, and I'd rather admit and accept Facebook's continued dominance than delude myself by buying into poorly written articles that pander to us geeks.