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HN has gotten so nasty. I now find that when I click on "comments" I unconsciously brace myself to find this type of comment at the top of the thread.

by pg 14y ago

jonstjohn 14y ago
Absolutely. It is so easy to poke holes in somebody project, blog post, etc, and takes some contrarian angle. I just don't quite understand why they get voted up to the top.
- xfax 14y ago
  It might be because people on HN are beacons of productivity who find that these atrocious projects take away from the reams of value that could be created otherwise by working on the product. This is why they don't read news sites during the work day. Oh wait ...
- joshAg 14y ago
  people like to feel smugly superior.
tptacek 14y ago
You're not wrong, but can I admit that I had the same feelings the top commenter had? I'll happily tack on the other admission that those feelings probably had a lot to do with jealousy.
- iuguy 14y ago
  I tried to edit after I made the comment as I read it and thought it was a bit harsh, but sadly couldn't for some reason. My point was that all of this takes time, and doesn't sound like something a lean and mean startup would do. Buying doors at $40 doesn't sound lean, the time spent instead of working on the product/service doesn't sound lean. There's an opportunity cost that should be factored in and they could've saved a load of money and time by buying the furniture second hand. Having said all that, it's their business and not mine, and if taking time out to build these desks won't disrupt their schedules or revenue stream then it's up to them if they want to do it. Personally I'd never allow it anywhere I work, but time's much more important (and billable) in my industry so their mileage may vary. Of course, they now have something tangible with their time that reminds them of the day they built their own desks. If there's value in that then more power to them.

HN has gotten so nasty. I now find that when I click on "comments" I unconsciously brace myself to find this type of comment at the top of the thread.

by pg 14y ago

HN has gotten so nasty. I now find that when I click on "comments" I unconsciously brace myself to find this type of comment at the top of the thread.

jonstjohn 14y ago

Absolutely. It is so easy to poke holes in somebody project, blog post, etc, and takes some contrarian angle. I just don't quite understand why they get voted up to the top.

xfax 14y ago
It might be because people on HN are beacons of productivity who find that these atrocious projects take away from the reams of value that could be created otherwise by working on the product. This is why they don't read news sites during the work day. Oh wait ...
joshAg 14y ago
people like to feel smugly superior.

tptacek 14y ago

You're not wrong, but can I admit that I had the same feelings the top commenter had? I'll happily tack on the other admission that those feelings probably had a lot to do with jealousy.

iuguy 14y ago
I tried to edit after I made the comment as I read it and thought it was a bit harsh, but sadly couldn't for some reason. My point was that all of this takes time, and doesn't sound like something a lean and mean startup would do. Buying doors at $40 doesn't sound lean, the time spent instead of working on the product/service doesn't sound lean. There's an opportunity cost that should be factored in and they could've saved a load of money and time by buying the furniture second hand. Having said all that, it's their business and not mine, and if taking time out to build these desks won't disrupt their schedules or revenue stream then it's up to them if they want to do it. Personally I'd never allow it anywhere I work, but time's much more important (and billable) in my industry so their mileage may vary. Of course, they now have something tangible with their time that reminds them of the day they built their own desks. If there's value in that then more power to them.