4 ms·
There's nothing inherently better about the edited version. It's just saying the same thing with synonyms substituted, at a slightly more formal but less person
by Sharlin 8mo ago
There's nothing inherently better about the edited version. It's just saying the same thing with synonyms substituted, at a slightly more formal but less personal register. HN comments are not academic text, colloquial turns of phrase are perfectly fine and expected.
- BeetleB 8mo ago> There's nothing inherently better about the edited version. Easier to read ==> More likely to be read. No, it's not saying the same thing, especially if the tool is telling you that your statement is ambiguous and should be rephrased.
- Sharlin 8mo agoMore formal register doesn’t mean easier to read or understand. To many people the exact opposite is the case.
- BeetleB 8mo ago> More formal register doesn’t mean easier to read or understand. And who is advocating for a more formal register?
- xxs 8mo agoEasier to read is mostly related with predictability of the text. Any time the brain mispredicts the next word, you'd have to go back and re-read. Unless you are purposely train on that specific way to expression, it ain't easier to read.
- mkl 8mo agoI don't think the edited version is easier to read.
- BeetleB 8mo agoI'll ask the same question I asked someone else: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47342324 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47342324 You're saying removing ambiguity does not make it easier to read? You're saying using a word that means nothing like what you meant to say is easier to read than using the correct word? Really?
- Sharlin 8mo agoWhat are you referring to? What word did the GP use that means nothing like what they meant to say?
- BeetleB 8mo agoOK. My brain farted, and I misunderstood the top post to be saying something else, and your and others' criticisms were misinterpreted by me. Now here's the thing. I wrote all my prior comments on a machine with no LLM access. On my personal machine, I had a while ago installed a TamperMonkey script that sends my draft, along with all the parents (to the root) to an LLM for feedback (with a specific prompt). All it does is give feedback (logical errors, etc). So I tried again with one of my comments, and its feedback found several flaws with my comment, and ended it with this suggestion: "Considering all this, it might be BETTER to either not reply ..." Had I had this advice when I was writing those comments, it would have saved me and others a fair amount of time. This is (mildly) useful. It'd be sad to ban such use.