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Because HN serves only text(html & css) with no javascript. (edit: a tiny amount of efficient js) Frontpage right now = 35.67KB This page is currently 18.34KB

Because HN serves only text(html & css) with no javascript. (edit: a tiny amount of efficient js) Frontpage right now = 35.67KB This page is currently 18.34KB. It's one of the only interesting sites left on the web that is 100% usable on 2G (EDGE) mobile data.

sillysaurusx 3y ago
I assure you, this isn’t the reason. And I’m saying that as someone who once put all their effort into maintaining a clone of HN, mostly out of curiosity. HN is the most responsive message board in the world. And by responsive I mean you feel the effect of upvotes and downvotes instantly. There is caching, but almost none of it is at the expense of the feel of the site. This is unlike Reddit, where although votes do have a quick effect, the algorithm is much simpler and less sensitive to sudden shifts in public opinion. On HN you can win and lose debates in a matter of minutes, and it’s thanks to the responsiveness that large websites seem not to have.
notRobot 3y ago
HN is usable without JS, but is served with JS scripts by default.
- consumer451 3y ago
  Oh wow, I could have swore... thanks. Still though, just 4 pages of js. I guess what I was thinking is typical insane tracking framework and tracking stuff. https://news.ycombinator.com/hn.js https://news.ycombinator.com/hn.js
  - sillysaurusx 3y ago
    If only people would stop underestimating how hard those four pages of js are. If you study it carefully you’ll notice some real time reloading type stuff for /newest, because it’s so important for finding good stories when you’re wading through hundreds. You can just click hide and see the next story instead of having to go from one page to the next. The smallness is evidence of skill, not (merely) simplicity.
    - consumer451 3y ago
      I was not trying to say it is simple, just that is very lightweight.
      - sillysaurusx 3y ago
        Sorry, I didn’t mean it quite so pointedly. :) I just hope the world appreciates lightweight again someday.
        consumer451 3y ago
        No offense taken :) Another lightweight site I came across is Tildes. [0] it was created by Reddit’s 10th hire after he left. I think it was a response to the Reddit redesign. Do you have any favorites? [0] https://tildes.net https://tildes.net https://gitlab.com/tildes https://gitlab.com/tildes
        sillysaurusx 3y ago
        Thank you! I didn’t realize tildes was open source. That’s really cool. One of my all time favorite examples of simple systems is Lumen, which was written by Scott Bell: https://github.com/sctb/lumen https://github.com/sctb/lumen It took years of study to understand just how large the ratio was of functionality vs size.

sillysaurusx 3y ago

I assure you, this isn’t the reason. And I’m saying that as someone who once put all their effort into maintaining a clone of HN, mostly out of curiosity. HN is the most responsive message board in the world. And by responsive I mean you feel the effect of upvotes and downvotes instantly. There is caching, but almost none of it is at the expense of the feel of the site. This is unlike Reddit, where although votes do have a quick effect, the algorithm is much simpler and less sensitive to sudden shifts in public opinion. On HN you can win and lose debates in a matter of minutes, and it’s thanks to the responsiveness that large websites seem not to have.

notRobot 3y ago

HN is usable without JS, but is served with JS scripts by default.

consumer451 3y ago
Oh wow, I could have swore... thanks. Still though, just 4 pages of js. I guess what I was thinking is typical insane tracking framework and tracking stuff. https://news.ycombinator.com/hn.js https://news.ycombinator.com/hn.js
- sillysaurusx 3y ago
  If only people would stop underestimating how hard those four pages of js are. If you study it carefully you’ll notice some real time reloading type stuff for /newest, because it’s so important for finding good stories when you’re wading through hundreds. You can just click hide and see the next story instead of having to go from one page to the next. The smallness is evidence of skill, not (merely) simplicity.
  - consumer451 3y ago
    I was not trying to say it is simple, just that is very lightweight.
    - sillysaurusx 3y ago
      Sorry, I didn’t mean it quite so pointedly. :) I just hope the world appreciates lightweight again someday.
      - consumer451 3y ago
        No offense taken :) Another lightweight site I came across is Tildes. [0] it was created by Reddit’s 10th hire after he left. I think it was a response to the Reddit redesign. Do you have any favorites? [0] https://tildes.net https://tildes.net https://gitlab.com/tildes https://gitlab.com/tildes
        sillysaurusx 3y ago
        Thank you! I didn’t realize tildes was open source. That’s really cool. One of my all time favorite examples of simple systems is Lumen, which was written by Scott Bell: https://github.com/sctb/lumen https://github.com/sctb/lumen It took years of study to understand just how large the ratio was of functionality vs size.