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> Right, but if you are commenting on a submission you haven't read, you don't know what you're talking about. Not at all. I literally gave you an example. Ple

> Right, but if you are commenting on a submission you haven't read, you don't know what you're talking about. Not at all. I literally gave you an example. Plenty of articles are about a topic people are sufficiently knowledgeable about to be able to discuss it at length without reading the article in question. > It sounds like while you didn't read the article, you read the thing you were commenting on, though--this isn't really the thing I'm criticizing. I'd suggest that at least 40% of comments on HN threads are discussion about the greater topic in general rather than the specific article itself. While this type of discussion can also include people who are commenting while uninformed, that doesn't mean that anyone who hasn't read the linked piece is uninformed about the topic. There are very few topics where there is literally only one singular article about it that is required reading to be considered "knowledgable".

kerkeslager 6y ago
> Plenty of articles are about a topic people are sufficiently knowledgeable about to be able to discuss it at length without reading the article in question. What I mean is: the article is the topic. The comments I'm objecting to, are, for example, pointing out a problem with something said in the article, because they got to that paragraph, and then went to HN and posted their disagreement, without reading the very next paragraph where that objection is addressed. Even if they are very knowledgeable about the topic, this isn't a contribution to the discussion, it's a step back in the discussion--maybe they are an expert and could address the author's response to their objection too, but they don't, because they weren't arsed to read the thing they were responding to. > While this type of discussion can also include people who are commenting while uninformed, that doesn't mean that anyone who hasn't read the linked piece is uninformed about the topic. Agreed, but it does mean they are uninformed about the linked piece, which hinders discussion if they're just repeating things said in the piece, objecting to things already addressed in the piece, or whatever. Being an expert on the topic of an article doesn't prevent this.
- stephenr 6y ago
  Right - so I still think some kind of user flagging/voting is the solution there, rather than eg weird click tracking timeouts.
  - kerkeslager 6y ago
    Well, I'll agree that weird click tracking timeouts isn't the solution. I don't think flagging/voting is either, though, at least in its current form.
    - stephenr 6y ago
      > in its current form This is the key issue, IMO.

kerkeslager 6y ago

> Plenty of articles are about a topic people are sufficiently knowledgeable about to be able to discuss it at length without reading the article in question. What I mean is: the article is the topic. The comments I'm objecting to, are, for example, pointing out a problem with something said in the article, because they got to that paragraph, and then went to HN and posted their disagreement, without reading the very next paragraph where that objection is addressed. Even if they are very knowledgeable about the topic, this isn't a contribution to the discussion, it's a step back in the discussion--maybe they are an expert and could address the author's response to their objection too, but they don't, because they weren't arsed to read the thing they were responding to. > While this type of discussion can also include people who are commenting while uninformed, that doesn't mean that anyone who hasn't read the linked piece is uninformed about the topic. Agreed, but it does mean they are uninformed about the linked piece, which hinders discussion if they're just repeating things said in the piece, objecting to things already addressed in the piece, or whatever. Being an expert on the topic of an article doesn't prevent this.

stephenr 6y ago
Right - so I still think some kind of user flagging/voting is the solution there, rather than eg weird click tracking timeouts.
- kerkeslager 6y ago
  Well, I'll agree that weird click tracking timeouts isn't the solution. I don't think flagging/voting is either, though, at least in its current form.
  - stephenr 6y ago
    > in its current form This is the key issue, IMO.