Interesting, I find that almost every comment section here on HN contains at least one useful piece of criticism (when there's criticism at all). The differenc

Interesting, I find that almost every comment section here on HN contains at least one useful piece of criticism (when there's criticism at all). The difference may be that good criticism in my eyes doesn't need to be a complete analysis. Earlier today I dismissed an article by saying it had "unsubstantiated claims" and was "sophomoric". That was it. No additional details or explanations given. I still consider that good critical feedback, because a sufficiently motivated person could improve the work based on it. If somebody looks at my code and says: "that's too brittle", that's good criticism. If somebody points at something and says: "unpythonic", that is good feedback too. Other people are not obligated to tell you what you need to do to improve. Even when their dissatisfaction takes the form of a rant, there's often a rational cause underneath. (The cause may be completely unrelated to the work he's criticizing, but humans are funny that way.) The difference between a critical analysis and bitching is only intent. Bitching is an attempt to make yourself feel better by making somebody else feel worse about his accomplishments. Criticism is trying to tell others where to improve. So the exact same one-liner (e.g. "that code sucks") can be nasty bitching from one person, and good feedback if it comes from a respected peer.