4 ms·

After lurking for a few months, here are a few "consensus" issues that come to mind (again, this is just the majority of users - certainly not all): - Macbooks

After lurking for a few months, here are a few "consensus" issues that come to mind (again, this is just the majority of users - certainly not all): - Macbooks are the best laptops - iOS is preferred over Android (both in use and development) - PHP is terrible - Facebook is the devil A few common debates here are: - Ruby vs. Python - Rails vs. Django - Google (whether they are evil or helpful) - Whether or not we are in a startup bubble

S4M 14y ago
Other "consensus" you forgot: - lisp is good, java is bad - working in a big co sucks - rms is awesome - pg is awesome
- brudgers 14y ago
  lisp is good, java is bad And this makes Clojure...?? There is plenty of dislike for Lisp and acceptance of Java.
  - dylanpyle 14y ago
    I think you'll find the common theme being Java hate, but a general love-hate relationship with the JVM (clojure, scala both have their fanboys and critics).
- DanBC 14y ago
  There is a vocal group (maybe also sizable?) who think that rms is not awesome.
tokenadult 14y ago
Thank you for your substantive reply. Sure enough, your reply illustrates that each reader of HN sees a different nonexhaustive subset of all threads here, and perhaps perceives a different consensus. - Macbooks are the best laptops It's interesting to me that you mention this, because it has been several years since I have owned a current laptop computer, and I have utterly no opinion about which brand of laptop is the best. I guess I almost never read threads on HN that even bring up the issue. - iOS is preferred over Android (both in use and development) I sure don't read these threads exhaustively either. I own an Android phone, since a bit more than a year ago, and I try to figure out the user experience in the Android ecosystem, which I have found annoying with my mobile service provider's default installation. - PHP is terrible My perception is that the consensus here is "PHP is a kludge language, but very useful for applications all the same," but I could be mistaken. - Facebook is the devil The consensus I perceive on that issue (I could be wrong) is "Facebook is a company that has overreached often in its attempts to monetize, but it offers great opportunities for some advertisers who use its platform." I have no experience with Facebook except as a daily user. I have predicted "Facebook will go the way of AOL, still being a factor in the industry years from now, but also serving as an example of a company that could never monetize up to the level of the hype surrounding it." I could be wrong, but that's my sense of where Facebook is in the market. A few common debates here are: - Ruby vs. Python It's interesting to someone who started posting webpages as long ago as I did that Perl isn't mentioned in this context anymore. - Rails vs. Django That one does seem to be balanced pretty well between the two sides, with no clear HN consensus. - Google (whether they are evil or helpful) My impression, by contrast, is that most HN users think Google is helpful in many of its business activities. - Whether or not we are in a startup bubble Yes, this general issue is debated, as is the valuation of particular companies.
27182818284 14y ago
I"m not the oldest user, but I'm older and I whole-heartily agree with your observations. For MacBooks, just search for threads with "best laptop." For iOS, I mean this pg post immediately came to mind http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4332278 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4332278. And so on.
polyfractal 14y ago
Also: -vi(m) vs. emacs -Taxes (and governments) are abominations -Talking about funding -SEO is evil -Marketing is evil -Conversely, "Growth Hacking" is cool And the general sentiment that, despite being a board about entrepreneurship and startups, taking money from people in a business transaction is evil. There is a lot of double-think on HN about money, particularly if it is paired with marketing and advertising.

S4M 14y ago

Other "consensus" you forgot: - lisp is good, java is bad - working in a big co sucks - rms is awesome - pg is awesome

brudgers 14y ago
lisp is good, java is bad And this makes Clojure...?? There is plenty of dislike for Lisp and acceptance of Java.
- dylanpyle 14y ago
  I think you'll find the common theme being Java hate, but a general love-hate relationship with the JVM (clojure, scala both have their fanboys and critics).
DanBC 14y ago
There is a vocal group (maybe also sizable?) who think that rms is not awesome.

tokenadult 14y ago

Thank you for your substantive reply. Sure enough, your reply illustrates that each reader of HN sees a different nonexhaustive subset of all threads here, and perhaps perceives a different consensus. - Macbooks are the best laptops It's interesting to me that you mention this, because it has been several years since I have owned a current laptop computer, and I have utterly no opinion about which brand of laptop is the best. I guess I almost never read threads on HN that even bring up the issue. - iOS is preferred over Android (both in use and development) I sure don't read these threads exhaustively either. I own an Android phone, since a bit more than a year ago, and I try to figure out the user experience in the Android ecosystem, which I have found annoying with my mobile service provider's default installation. - PHP is terrible My perception is that the consensus here is "PHP is a kludge language, but very useful for applications all the same," but I could be mistaken. - Facebook is the devil The consensus I perceive on that issue (I could be wrong) is "Facebook is a company that has overreached often in its attempts to monetize, but it offers great opportunities for some advertisers who use its platform." I have no experience with Facebook except as a daily user. I have predicted "Facebook will go the way of AOL, still being a factor in the industry years from now, but also serving as an example of a company that could never monetize up to the level of the hype surrounding it." I could be wrong, but that's my sense of where Facebook is in the market. A few common debates here are: - Ruby vs. Python It's interesting to someone who started posting webpages as long ago as I did that Perl isn't mentioned in this context anymore. - Rails vs. Django That one does seem to be balanced pretty well between the two sides, with no clear HN consensus. - Google (whether they are evil or helpful) My impression, by contrast, is that most HN users think Google is helpful in many of its business activities. - Whether or not we are in a startup bubble Yes, this general issue is debated, as is the valuation of particular companies.

27182818284 14y ago

I"m not the oldest user, but I'm older and I whole-heartily agree with your observations. For MacBooks, just search for threads with "best laptop." For iOS, I mean this pg post immediately came to mind http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4332278 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4332278. And so on.

polyfractal 14y ago

Also: -vi(m) vs. emacs -Taxes (and governments) are abominations -Talking about funding -SEO is evil -Marketing is evil -Conversely, "Growth Hacking" is cool And the general sentiment that, despite being a board about entrepreneurship and startups, taking money from people in a business transaction is evil. There is a lot of double-think on HN about money, particularly if it is paired with marketing and advertising.