4 ms·

They never end up at -10 because HN is implemented that way. If the score is lower than -4 it displays -4, but the real score could be lower.

• Kliment 16y ago
  I believe the point is that people tend to leave those comments at zero/-1 rather than downvoting them further. That has nothing to do with the -4 limit.
  • jules 16y ago
    I see a lot more comments at -4 than at 0/-1. YMMV.
    • Kliment 16y ago
      Certainly. I was just trying to clear up a possible misreading.
• alanh 16y ago
  What's the reasoning here?
  • Groxx 16y ago
    Not entirely sure, I've wondered a bit myself. The main one I come back to is that if a comment is worth both -4 net points and nigh-invisibility with the text fading, it's probably worth more. And only people with > X points (200? I think?) are capable of down-voting on -4 comments. Collectively, they serve to be stronger punishment for truly bad comments, controlled by people who have been here longer / contributed more, who probably know this behavior and vote accordingly.