Hacker News Reader

Comment by jasonlotito | Hacker News Reader

FYI: Not sure if you know, but that article works to block you from reading it and asks you to sign up for something. I don't know, I just back out of any user hostile BS like that point. Maybe you have a better article from a source that isn't clearly hostile to visitors?

View on HN

Substack does have all these sketchy patterns but there is a 'Let me read it first' text link on the popup that lets you continue, seemingly without tracking how many times you've done that.

BUT I made the mistake of actually signing up for one blog I liked and got smacked by a barrage of more 'sign up for this!!!' immediately after. So I agree that it's user-hostile but... it seems like most of the web is moving that way, outside of our digital gardens.

> ...'Let me read it first' text link

Yep, I didn't notice that until someone commented that. Seems purposely hidden.

> it seems like most of the web is moving that way,

Yeah, I really don't care at this point. I'm not going to jump through hoops anymore. If someone wants to block me from reading something using trickery, than clearly it's worthless and neither the site nor the author respect me. Why should I respect them?

What’s really weird about Substack is that you seemingly can’t subscribe to a newsletter and read it in the app without getting every post emailed too. I just want to read in the app.

fwiw, part of their schtick was newsletters and that you, effectively, never had to open their app. Seems like they designed for one and not the other. That said, during launch day they took a lot of feedback from here so they might hear you if you reach out.

There’s a “let me read it first” option that grants you unmolested access to the article

Why bother? If they don't want me to read it i won't read it.

There should be a way to mark this crap on the front page so I don't waste my time clicking on it...

Oh, I didn't see it. It's hidden.

"Unmolested' would be me not needing to interact with that.

This is literally what they sell though. It’s like going to a restaurant and complaining that they ask you to pay for your meal.

I know when I got to a restaurant what I'm getting myself into.

I guess I just need to equate substack URLs with deceit, hostile reading patterns, and substandard content. Though, someone sharing out substack links that apparently they wrote should be seen as advertising and treated as such.

Or, alternatively, we need to stop constantly expecting content for free. (I'm saying as a society, not you personally)

Reply on news.ycombinator.com