"Those sentences are snark: sarcastic and snide assertions that do little more than to point out how much the author doesn't know when compared to the commenter. They're not needed, or they could've been phrased much more neutrally"
This. A thousand times this.
There are always arguments about thick and thin skin, but I can't find any value in being so snide about something.
I look at HN comments because I'm looking for balance and additional information, not to find someone trying to be That Guy, and prove how much more he knows than the initial author.
I value the content HN has in the way of articles posted and comments made, but the amount of vitriol I see is really disconcerting. I can stomach it, try to soak up the info and move on, but it's so unnecessary and rarely adds anything to the conversation.
I also should say that I totally get the impulse. I even half typed a sarcastic admonition at the end of this and then backspaced because it would have done nothing to add to the point.
As a side note, I think I've been inadvertently contributing to this by not more actively up-voting and adding to comments that I think are useful and constructive while hoping that my own comments get some traction.
This. A thousand times this.
There are always arguments about thick and thin skin, but I can't find any value in being so snide about something.
I look at HN comments because I'm looking for balance and additional information, not to find someone trying to be That Guy, and prove how much more he knows than the initial author.
I value the content HN has in the way of articles posted and comments made, but the amount of vitriol I see is really disconcerting. I can stomach it, try to soak up the info and move on, but it's so unnecessary and rarely adds anything to the conversation.
I also should say that I totally get the impulse. I even half typed a sarcastic admonition at the end of this and then backspaced because it would have done nothing to add to the point.