Ultimately, I think the biggest issue with the commenting system is that it's too easy to get lost. For example, this post now has 181 comments, and I barely ha

Ultimately, I think the biggest issue with the commenting system is that it's too easy to get lost. For example, this post now has 181 comments, and I barely have time to read 20. Maybe comment 84 has a really good point to be made? Don't know...I'll never see it. Not that this is unique to HN. Any community that gets above a certain size is going to have an issue where only those dedicated enough to read through entire 181 comment threads can really participate fully. Anyone who is pressed for time, or only interested in being a casual community member gets punished by the legions of 12 hours-a-day staring at comment threads dedicated fanatics. Anyway, this is not a rant, but a suggestion. What about not showing some comments? I mean, I sort of already do this on my own, but why not choose a random subset of comments (and their corresponding threads) to display. Make the frequency dependent on the score. At the very least, would it be too much to ask for disclosure arrows? For example, the first thread on this page was entertaining for the first 4-5 comments. After that, I just wished it would go away, but instead it continued for another 3-4 pages. Anyhow, for the time being I'm kind of curious how a community run by self professed geeks, with the express intention of remaining a community for said self professed geeks, fares in the long run... ...should be a fun ride