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Things I would like to be able to discuss on HN without it devolving into a field of gray text: - Global warming - Anything about the environment really - El

Things I would like to be able to discuss on HN without it devolving into a field of gray text: - Global warming - Anything about the environment really - Elon Musk - Bitcoin - Energy - PHP - Education The list seems to be continuing to grow over time, and some seem to be intentionally working to trigger HN's flamewar filter in many of the threads.

pc86 3y ago
I've often wondered if disabling voting and using contest sorting on contentious threads by default would help with this.
- solardev 3y ago
  Contest sorting?
  - pc86 3y ago
    I might be misnaming it, but basically top-level responses are in a random order and child comments are auto-hidden (but can still be expanded). I'm sure there would be some tweaks necessary to make it work for HN, and maybe it includes voting or doesn't.
  - throw_m239339 3y ago
    > Contest sorting? This is a thread mode on reddit where answers to a post are hidden by default and scores are masked. I'm not sure how efficient it is at limiting petty internet fights though.
    - solardev 3y ago
      How does that work if voting is disabled?
paganel 3y ago
At some point you just have to embrace they gray text. Back to your point, I've seen a change of mind on this forum regarding PHP in the last couple of years, but that could just be me.
kjkjadksj 3y ago
Honestly its pretty hilarious that for here PHP is lumped in there with the usual suspects of online flamewars.
tremon 3y ago
Quite frankly, for most discussions on those subjects, the black text isn't of a much higher standard than the gray text; they tend to bring out the Dunning-Krugers and the jingoists in equal numbers. I've found that some gray comments have more insightful reasoning than highly upvoted comments, and some gray posts invite more nuanced follow-up discussion that is still worth reading. What I do on subjects that have already been rehashed to death: I skim/skip the walls of black text and focus primarily on the black-gray checkered threads.

pc86 3y ago

I've often wondered if disabling voting and using contest sorting on contentious threads by default would help with this.

solardev 3y ago
Contest sorting?
- pc86 3y ago
  I might be misnaming it, but basically top-level responses are in a random order and child comments are auto-hidden (but can still be expanded). I'm sure there would be some tweaks necessary to make it work for HN, and maybe it includes voting or doesn't.
- throw_m239339 3y ago
  > Contest sorting? This is a thread mode on reddit where answers to a post are hidden by default and scores are masked. I'm not sure how efficient it is at limiting petty internet fights though.
  - solardev 3y ago
    How does that work if voting is disabled?

paganel 3y ago

At some point you just have to embrace they gray text. Back to your point, I've seen a change of mind on this forum regarding PHP in the last couple of years, but that could just be me.

kjkjadksj 3y ago

Honestly its pretty hilarious that for here PHP is lumped in there with the usual suspects of online flamewars.

tremon 3y ago

Quite frankly, for most discussions on those subjects, the black text isn't of a much higher standard than the gray text; they tend to bring out the Dunning-Krugers and the jingoists in equal numbers. I've found that some gray comments have more insightful reasoning than highly upvoted comments, and some gray posts invite more nuanced follow-up discussion that is still worth reading. What I do on subjects that have already been rehashed to death: I skim/skip the walls of black text and focus primarily on the black-gray checkered threads.