Hacker News Reader

Comment by jcsalterego | Hacker News Reader

I'm seeing this everywhere else on my internets, but I will have to play the "OT for HN" card.

Civil rights issues are hacker issues. Even if they're not in your country.

I don't go to CNN/NYT/BBC for hacker news. I don't go to Hacker News for world/political news. I don't go to McDonald's for steak and I don't go to Disneyland to check out a library book. All other websites and media channels are just a click away so put me down on the side of thinking a front page link about the Egypt situation is OT and inefficient for HN. If not, let's take it to the logical extreme and start submitting pictures of pretty ponies. Hackers can find pretty ponies interesting.

These are not news on civil rights. One politician stepped down and made his vice an incumbent. No evidence of change in the system at the moment.

There is a long way from stepping down of one person who is a symbol of corruption to a democratic or just more liberal society (e.g. look at the ex-USSR countries).

I concede to your first point. Not sure where the second part is coming from.

What I meant was, that if this was happening in the US or a european country where most HNers live, then the relevance of the civil rights issues might be seen as more immediate.

This was more aimed at the community in general, "you" was meant to refer to the reader. Obviously I don't know where you (jcsalterego) live. Sorry for not being more clear.

Cheers for the clarification.

The effect of sites like Twitter and Facebook in organizing opposition to repressive governments across the world is very relevant to hackers and startups.

A startup may also have to consider how to react when a foreign government starts demanding restrictions on the startup's services within a particular country, if the users are destabilizing that foreign government's position.

I believe twitter and Facebook's influence is painfully overstated.

You may well be right. OTOH, improved information technology has over time resulted in p0olitical revolutions -- for example the invention of moveable type led to democracy in Europe.

Any government, including their own, for that matter.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com