As to why I'm commenting on it: because it was submitted for our comment, and this is my comment.
Was it? Is there any particular expectation that HN users must comment on stories, as opposed to simply reading them and gaining whatever value they gain from that exercise?
I don't know about you, but I certainly don't feel compelled to comment on every HN post. And judging by how many posts hit the /newest page and disappear with 0 comments, I don't think I'm alone in that...
In the context of how it was used, that was absolutely the implication. Tptacek submitted that as the rationale to explain his commenting, when he (obviously) could have easily skipped the whole thread. Ultimately there was no real reason for him to bother commenting in the first place...
Then you come along and want to interpret that reply to actually mean 'Everything permitted on HN is compulsory'. That is, at a polite minimum, pointedly silly.
No, that is, at a polite minimum, your mistaken interpretation. And it has nothing whatsoever to do with what I actually said.
Me
> asks another why they are commenting which is one of the oldest, malignantly dimwitted things to say in an online forum.
Not following. There are many threads on the front page throughout the day. My usual MO is to read and comment on what I find interesting, not the converse. I find it strange to immerse myself in posts that make me "pretty uncomfortable". Like those people who tell me how much they dislike IPA's while continually sipping it.
> he other person, mindful of the site guidelines
I avoided mentioning it explicitly b/c tptacek is a regular contributor, but do some of his comments run afoul of "Please don't impute astroturfing or shillage"? Also "Why is this on HN?" is one of the oldest and least useful questions on HN since it's obvious things are voted up b/c some group found it interesting. If there's a serious problem with it, just use the flag. I expected better of him, honestly.
It's possible to write about how one is perplexed by what others find interesting, in an interesting way.
Also "Why is this on HN?"
It's not a 'why is this on HN' comment.
I expected better of him, honestly.
wat.