This website is terribly bad: - UX/UI is terrible and not user friendly - Infrastructure and the code is like COBOL from the 80s - No notifications when someone replies to your comment - Profile section is non-existent - API is just as bad as the website
I could go on with the list, but you get the idea... for a website which receives millions of visitors, it's a shame that it's so bad.
The minimalist text-only gui IS very usable for discussion, and forces that the focus is on the discussion.
I think for instance adding images to posts or comments would make the site worse, as images serve to attract and focus attention away from discussion. But the discussion here is the point!
The minimal profile sections are also a feature. This account is not your digital homepage. It is a place people go for discussion. A bigger focus on your profile would be a step towards use of the site as brand-building which favors attention-whoring over quality discussion.
Again, the focus is on reducing frictions to people to contribute to quality discussion, and avoiding dynamics that might supplant this.
So I think a lack of notifications is a great feature. It lets us say our piece and move on, and let the community discussion fall where it will.
Keeping track of your points is a decent indicator that activity has happened though. I just remember roughly where it was when I left, and then I know whether I should check /threads or not.
There are third party services though http://www.hnreplies.com/
I'm currently using both - userstyle for DIY dark mode, userscript on mobile for font size adjustment (no Stylus available on Firefox for Android yet). Plus uBlock Origin configured to nuke the karma counter.
And though I don't have a relocated collapse control, there are modified light/dark mode HN styles linked in my HN profile, for those interested in either using those directly or as a starting point for your own restyle.
Is there a RES-style browser addon for HN with some of these little quality of life improvements?
I get the appeal of providing a minimal service like HN, but unless I'm missing something, my proposed change is an absolute no-brainer considering it's effort-reward ratio.
Linked under "API" at the bottom of the page you're reading now.
There are and were message- and discussion-oriented protocols, most notably Usenet, of which you may be aware there were some persistent issues:
<https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36194941>
<https://web.archive.org/web/20220321105208/https://old.reddi...>
The thought's occurred to me that among the conspicuous omissions from the HTML spec is of a threaded discussion (or more specifically, messages within a threaded context) as a first-order object, permitting arbitrary structuring of that content at the volition of the reader.
To that extent, your suggestion's somewhat growing on me.
<https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ftsa&q=alternative+hacker+news+fro...>
"Alternative hacker news front ends".
This is one of the features of HN that I appreciate most. The lack of notification means that you don't (typically) get a ton of back and forth sniping arguments like you do on sites like reddit.
I find this makes people put more effort into their first comment and keeps the arguments lower.
What else do you really need, honestly? It's like reddit, only with actually readable comment threads.
1. inline code formatting, e.g. Markdown's `place code here` with backticks)
2. direct links, or some sort of footnotes system. I prefer to thoroughly source posts, especially when it's either rare/obscure knowledge or when it's an opinion/viewpoint that goes against the "hive mind" or however else you want to call the "mass opinion" on here - it's easier and more productive to debate on sourced facts than on unsubstantiated claims.
3. an actual quote indicator, just as Reddit does with lines that begin with > - it would be a waaay better way to follow visually in lengthy posts
4. actually working ordered and unordered lists. Markdown's syntax is bad, but anything is an improvement over nothing.
And lack of notifications is a good feature. It does help in many cases where you would go into very heated or not very useful discussions.
Though not notifications, I've included code to annotate YC startup job listings, just so I could clearly distinguish them from regular posts.
I took to increasingly muting the notification such that it now reads:
/* HN startup job ads */
html[op="news"] .athing td:nth-of-type(2):not(.votelinks) {
background: #eee;
}
html[op="news"] .athing td:nth-of-type(2):not(.votelinks):before {
content: "YC";
position: relative;
left: 0.8em;
top: 0;
color: #000;
font-size: 0.6em;
}
The Hacker News UX/UI is one of the best among the websites I regularly visit!
E.g.: <https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=false&qu...>
And yes, the community and moderation here are a literal breath of fresh air compared to most of Reddit.