CodeReddit: Cover UI for Reddit at Work(codereddit.com)
codereddit.com
CodeReddit: Cover UI for Reddit at Work
http://codereddit.com/
123 comments
If your need to get onto reddit is so strong that you have to do it at work and hide it, you have problems other than whether someone sees it over your shoulder.
No, it just means you enjoy reading it and you're willing to break some rule you probably consider dumb and inconsequential.
Why do you think people have to have a "strong need" to be willing to break workplaces rules?
No, it just means you enjoy reading it and you're willing to break some rule you probably consider dumb and inconsequential.
Why do you think people have to have a "strong need" to be willing to break workplaces rules?
"The thing is, Bob, it's not that I'm lazy, it's that I just don't care."
What if - and believe me this is a hypothetical - but what if you were offered some kind of a stock option equity sharing program. Would that do anything for you?
I've been the person disabling the accounts of former employees in just that situation after a couple of warnings. Not being an employee or always on-site I have no idea if there were other "dumb and inconsequential" rules also being broken, but I know for sure when the "no personal email or surfing" rule stopped being broken. Admittedly the case I'm thinking of was a low-level staffer not a medical professional (or developer), but on the other hand I've also seen the advice to "find your indispensable person and fire them (before they quit or get hit by a bus)."
I've also been the person being asked "hey, just between us, how can I check my email/MySpace/LiveJournal/Facebook/Flavor-of-the-week?" Answer: Get a smartphone, use their app or check your email during breaks on your phone not on the company network. Some places are more rigid about this and some are less. I also tell businesses that I can do some measure of blocking, but that at its core things like this are a business and HR policy thing as much as they're a technical issue to be addressed.
And finally, I've been the person charging for cleaning up viruses, doing nuke-and-paves, and (fortunately only once) restoring from backup after what I'll still call "stupid user tricks" when a senior partner wanted a newer version of Office and went to download it. Ain't Cryptolocker fun?
I've also been the person being asked "hey, just between us, how can I check my email/MySpace/LiveJournal/Facebook/Flavor-of-the-week?" Answer: Get a smartphone, use their app or check your email during breaks on your phone not on the company network. Some places are more rigid about this and some are less. I also tell businesses that I can do some measure of blocking, but that at its core things like this are a business and HR policy thing as much as they're a technical issue to be addressed.
And finally, I've been the person charging for cleaning up viruses, doing nuke-and-paves, and (fortunately only once) restoring from backup after what I'll still call "stupid user tricks" when a senior partner wanted a newer version of Office and went to download it. Ain't Cryptolocker fun?
If your need to hide your private browsing is so strong that you have to use tools like CodeReddit, you have an anti social working environment and should change jobs.
There's also http://gumho.github.io/codehn for Hacker News which is entirely client only.
Disclaimer: mine
Disclaimer: mine
And, unlike the Python version of this, provides valid Python code.
Nifty idea, but really lacking 2 obvious features
1) Make a dark version. Who codes on white?
2) Remap H J K L to arrow keys
1) Make a dark version. Who codes on white?
2) Remap H J K L to arrow keys
The mad man behind aprilzero.com uses a non-monospace font on a light background last time I checked. What an animal.
Also skin it to look like an editor, and then have the user go full screen, because who codes in a browser window?
I manage my blog (uses Jekyll) in Cloud9, one of those web-IDEs with a VPS backend, and it's great. You can get access to your own dev-box from any browser.
I code in default themed chrome if I'm just making a simple webpage! Dev tools has become really capable, but that's hardly programming ;)
Agreed... though you can do a few simple inspector edits that let you change the background and link colors to make it appear the way you want it.
http://codereddit.net/ uses a dark theme.
for 2), Firefox + Keysnail works great for me. Awesome keybindings everywhere.
Relevant discussion, "Are you paid to look busy?": https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7725736
Apologies that this contributes very little, but my (lack of) sense of humor found this unintentional circular reference chuckleworthy:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7726325
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7726325
Has the term "Boss Mode" fallen out of favour?
I thought "Cover UI" was going to be Reddit reimagined as album or magazine covers.
I thought "Cover UI" was going to be Reddit reimagined as album or magazine covers.
Haha I remember hitting the boss key in Leisure Suit Larry 1, I think it showed a fake productivity graph or spreadsheet or something. Surely no one actually used that to pretend to be working!
I think the two things are different. "Boss mode" is a quick cover to hide something you're doing (e.g. hit F9 to replace a game screen with a black screen with a command line), but this is a complete replacement UI for doing the actual activity while appearing to be working.
In an organization as flat as mine, Cover UI works really well actually. Not sure who my Boss would be...
Makes me again wish for a proper Emacs mode for Reddit (and HN; I'm thinking about writing it if I ever get out of current avalanche of commitments).
I've been IRCing from Emacs for many years; most of the people around look at my screen (and tiny font) and have no clue whatsoever about what I am doing. Sometimes the screen shows code, sometimes my notes or contents of a folder, other times an IRC or IM window, and it all looks the same.
I've been IRCing from Emacs for many years; most of the people around look at my screen (and tiny font) and have no clue whatsoever about what I am doing. Sometimes the screen shows code, sometimes my notes or contents of a folder, other times an IRC or IM window, and it all looks the same.
I'm probably not going to use a site with 'reddit' in the domain if I need to hide my traffic to reddit.
You can hide your URL bar
I think the point was network monitors.
It makes API requests to reddit from your browser. All this website is good for is trying not to look obvious to people looking over your shoulder.
[deleted]
This is brilliant. I just love seeing creativity and outside-box thinking like this. Sure, it's not going to solve world hunger or revolutionize mobile computing. But you know what? I don't care. It's fun, it's whimsical. 10/10, would click again.
This was hilarious. At first, i thought, why did someone bring me to a wrong link? They gave me js instead of the real link. Then I started reading the js and I was like this is hilarious. It is hilarious that I found a js code to be beautiful. this is good work!
uhm, js??
I guess JS really is the new PHP
Whoops, php. I didn't even notice the syntax
I used to do disreputable web browsing in w3m. If you use a scary looking font like 6x13 and something like Solarized, no one stands close enough or cares enough to check.
Meh, your job must really suck if you have to do this.
nothing new either, there's also outlook disguise https://pcottle.github.io/MSOutlookit/
And Word disguise! http://pcottle.github.io/MSWorddit/
Yeah, a lot of people have jobs that suck.
The is very cute! Well executed too.
But if you're banned from taking a reddit/HN/tumblr/FB break at work, maybe it's time to look for a job that values what you produce, not how you produce it.
But if you're banned from taking a reddit/HN/tumblr/FB break at work, maybe it's time to look for a job that values what you produce, not how you produce it.
Please make a dark version!
I've seen a similar concept before: http://4chancode.org/
I like this one more though, the code looks more realistic.
I like this one more though, the code looks more realistic.
This was done for facebook at one of the FB Hackathon....
Blank screen on iOS with Purify anti-tracker installed
Hmmmm
Hmmmm
can we get this in JS?
[deleted]
Is there a JavaScript version with a dark theme? (serious)
We need a version using my custom Monokai theme ASAP! ;)
Isn't it easier to just use Lynx as a browser?
This would be a lot easier to read in Python.
You can cycle through other languages including Python, C#, XML, etc. (Click on the language link on top)
Oh Hacker News, you have a delightful way of sucking the fun out of almost everything.
Love it!
You should definitely quit your job if browsing reddit makes you look worse than writing code in PHP.
Hey look, it's someone who hasn't written any PHP since 2008!
Things have moved on. It's just another language.
Things have moved on. It's just another language.
Just because something has made tremendous improvements doesn't mean it's not laughably bad. There is no reason to write new applications with PHP in this day and age with the exception of protecting fragile egos of those who aren't willing to learn something better.
What features is it missing that make it such a challenge for you to write anything with it?
I have yet to see a substantial answer to that question, even with all the PHP bashing, of issues with PHP that actually matter in the real world.
I have yet to see a substantial answer to that question, even with all the PHP bashing, of issues with PHP that actually matter in the real world.
That's because it's the wrong question. Adding features is easy. It's making them work well together that's hard.
Settle down, Beavis. PHP's a tool. It does a certain kind of job. People are allowed to use it. Bitching about it is like bitching about a hammer. "You can't even screw in a screw with it!" Indeed.
Watching people use PHP is like someone grabbing a rock and bashing nails with it. Sure it's a tool, but you still look stupid using it to hammer things.
Instead of using metaphors, just answer the question:
What makes PHP bad?
What makes PHP bad?
* implicit conversions
* arrays are passed by value (by default)
* poor performance
* dollar signs everywhere
* inconsistent function names
* horrendous standard library
* arrays are a mix of real arrays, hashmaps and other things
* it keeps executing even after encountering errors
Overall the langauge reduces my productivity, encourages bad code and doesn't even perform well.
Overall the langauge reduces my productivity, encourages bad code and doesn't even perform well.
Thank you for having some real concerns with the language.
Some of these are addressed in PHP7. Performance is increased significantly, and exception handling has gotten some major improvements as well.
The encouragement of bad code I disagree with though, you can write bad code in any language. It isn't up to the language structures to force the developer into a certain way of writing.
For typing issues, there are strict modes as well, and type checking is something that's being improved in PHP7 again.
Some of these are addressed in PHP7. Performance is increased significantly, and exception handling has gotten some major improvements as well.
The encouragement of bad code I disagree with though, you can write bad code in any language. It isn't up to the language structures to force the developer into a certain way of writing.
For typing issues, there are strict modes as well, and type checking is something that's being improved in PHP7 again.
Why is PHP laughably bad?
There's nothing wrong with PHP.
Not until you try to run it at least
php is one apt-get install away. Java, not so much (for example).
at least request contexts in http php apps are isolated; memory lives and dies per request, which is more than can be said for java web applications.
That is not a virtue. Java (And ruby, and python, and ASP.Net) get faster when they warm up.
or they leak memory. or a heavy request generates gc activity which impacts other requests.
i've seen site outages in large companies due to these sorts of bugs. multiple times. this is a major set of problems that you avoid by having a memory model that fits the domain (http services). php sort of did it by accident, but it works. BEAM gets this right as well.
i've seen site outages in large companies due to these sorts of bugs. multiple times. this is a major set of problems that you avoid by having a memory model that fits the domain (http services). php sort of did it by accident, but it works. BEAM gets this right as well.
That is a possible failure mode, but if it's standard practice in the systems you're touching you've had some bad luck?
apt-get install openjdk-6-jre-headless?
Sorry, I wasn't specific enough, I meant Java-based web apps^^
php based web apps are not 1 apt-get away either.
I don't know how many times I tried to run a php web app just to find out a random php5-* extension was missing, and then having to guess which one.
I don't know how many times I tried to run a php web app just to find out a random php5-* extension was missing, and then having to guess which one.
Modern applications using composer for dependencies give you this error information for free by virtue of the fact that `composer install` will fail. Most (all?) PaaS solutions take this into account and install those extensions. I know heroku does, as dokku uses the heroku buildpack :)
Or you know, anything with Ruby. Especially two things that need two different versions of Ruby!
This would be problematic for any programming language, though.
However, if you do want an elegant solution for your problem, may I recommend ruby-install[1] and the companion for easily changing between versions, chruby[2]. Alternatively, you could try RVM[3].
There are a couple more versions (one is even specifically designed for Windows), but I found ruby-install and chruby to be the most convenient ones for both personal and professional use.
[1] https://github.com/postmodern/ruby-install [2] https://github.com/postmodern/chruby [3] https://rvm.io/
However, if you do want an elegant solution for your problem, may I recommend ruby-install[1] and the companion for easily changing between versions, chruby[2]. Alternatively, you could try RVM[3].
There are a couple more versions (one is even specifically designed for Windows), but I found ruby-install and chruby to be the most convenient ones for both personal and professional use.
[1] https://github.com/postmodern/ruby-install [2] https://github.com/postmodern/chruby [3] https://rvm.io/
>This would be problematic for any programming language, though.
...except PHP.
...except PHP.
Exactly.
I'm not trying to bash Ruby, but I haven't done any programming with it for about 6 years. I just want to get some web thing running on my home server, or get some gems installed for Compass or whatever (which to be fair is now a lot easier with bundler).
What I don't want to do is figure out how RVM works for the third time and how to install it globally instead of just for my user account so Apache site one can use one version and Apache site two can use another.
Everything in that world changes every year and if you're not keeping up it's a huge mess.
I'm not trying to bash Ruby, but I haven't done any programming with it for about 6 years. I just want to get some web thing running on my home server, or get some gems installed for Compass or whatever (which to be fair is now a lot easier with bundler).
What I don't want to do is figure out how RVM works for the third time and how to install it globally instead of just for my user account so Apache site one can use one version and Apache site two can use another.
Everything in that world changes every year and if you're not keeping up it's a huge mess.
How is it not problematic with PHP? It's just as problematic from my experiences (I work for a hosting company and we have various PHP setups).
Unless you install PHP with a certain prefix—which you can do for other languages—I don't see how PHP solves the problem.
Unless you install PHP with a certain prefix—which you can do for other languages—I don't see how PHP solves the problem.
> This would be problematic for any programming language, though.
C?
C?
Well, compiling C11 with a compiler that only supports C98, or GNU-C "extensions" in contrast to vanilla C, but there's no runtime compatibility issues like with interpreted languages (if that is what you were getting at).
Also, there's the problem with platform portability (in terms of compiler "oddities", not system libraries) which I won't get into, because it's a hairy subject. :)
Also, there's the problem with platform portability (in terms of compiler "oddities", not system libraries) which I won't get into, because it's a hairy subject. :)
Can you elaborate? I might have been having problems with PHP for 10 years without even knowing it didn't run!
People like to shit on PHP as it is a popular entry point for new web developers.
But I've seen just as awful code in other languages throughout my career so far. I wish people would drop this elitist attitude towards PHP.
But I've seen just as awful code in other languages throughout my career so far. I wish people would drop this elitist attitude towards PHP.
[deleted]
There's lots wrong with PHP. http://eev.ee/blog/2012/04/09/php-a-fractal-of-bad-design/
That's been rebutted: http://forums.devshed.com/php-development-5/php-fractal-bad-...
There are valid criticisms of PHP but the common citation of that article as the end of the debate on PHP's strengths and weaknesses is a mistake, especially in light of PHP 7.
That rebuttal's use of WordPress as an example of PHP done right is not very convincing... Also, Facebook and Wikipedia uses HHVM instead of standard PHP
HHVM is a webserver that replaces the likes of Apache or nginx, it isn't a language.
Perhaps you're confusing HHVM with hack?
Perhaps you're confusing HHVM with hack?
There it is. I was just waiting for that one fractal of bad design post from 2012 that everyone references in this argument, every time.
Cause, ya know, 4 years later there's probably nothing that is changed or improved. Better to just write it off completely than to do your own research and use relevant facts to shape an argument.
Cause, ya know, 4 years later there's probably nothing that is changed or improved. Better to just write it off completely than to do your own research and use relevant facts to shape an argument.
80% of the article is still true. The biggest:
* It's 2016 and PHP still doesn't have a module system, Python had one in '91, Perl had one in '94, Ruby had one in '95
* inequality operators still have no === equivalent
* sorting is still indeterministic when you have null values because NULL < -1, and NULL == 0
* arrays are the only containers in the language and they simultaneously act as sets, lists, and associative arrays which fucks up almost all array functions because you don't know what they will do
* PHP has had exceptions for almost 10 years now and a lot of functions still require you to use their specific error function to tell if it failed. So if you don't call say json_last_error, your code will SILENTLY return the wrong thing
* It's 2016 and PHP still doesn't have a module system, Python had one in '91, Perl had one in '94, Ruby had one in '95
* inequality operators still have no === equivalent
* sorting is still indeterministic when you have null values because NULL < -1, and NULL == 0
* arrays are the only containers in the language and they simultaneously act as sets, lists, and associative arrays which fucks up almost all array functions because you don't know what they will do
* PHP has had exceptions for almost 10 years now and a lot of functions still require you to use their specific error function to tell if it failed. So if you don't call say json_last_error, your code will SILENTLY return the wrong thing
> * It's 2016 and PHP still doesn't have a module system, Python had one in '91, Perl had one in '94, Ruby had one in '95
Composer is widely adopted and has been the standard for years now. It's not baked into the language, it's a community driven effort that has been wildly successful.
> * inequality operators still have no === equivalent
Still true. Pretty easy to deal with since there are functions for handling equality of all scalar types.
> * sorting is still indeterministic when you have null values because NULL < -1, and NULL == 0 > * arrays are the only containers in the language and they simultaneously act as sets, lists, and associative arrays which fucks up almost all array functions because you don't know what they will do
Both of these things are true. Neither of these things regularly snag me in my development, but like many other dynamic languages, they do need to be carefully designed for. Unit testing, strongly typed scalar vars (new in PHP7), or using SPL object data structures instead of language primitive help here.
* PHP has had exceptions for almost 10 years now and a lot of functions still require you to use their specific error function to tell if it failed. So if you don't call say json_last_error, your code will SILENTLY return the wrong thing
I can't think of a function I regularly use besides json_encode that has this problem.
Much of that article was originally a disagreement with the approach PHP generally takes and is subjective in the first place. I'm not trying to sway people's opinion to actually use PHP, I'm just saying that despite the worts it is a capable language with an incredibly positive and productive community. It's no longer the dumpster fire it once was.
Composer is widely adopted and has been the standard for years now. It's not baked into the language, it's a community driven effort that has been wildly successful.
> * inequality operators still have no === equivalent
Still true. Pretty easy to deal with since there are functions for handling equality of all scalar types.
> * sorting is still indeterministic when you have null values because NULL < -1, and NULL == 0 > * arrays are the only containers in the language and they simultaneously act as sets, lists, and associative arrays which fucks up almost all array functions because you don't know what they will do
Both of these things are true. Neither of these things regularly snag me in my development, but like many other dynamic languages, they do need to be carefully designed for. Unit testing, strongly typed scalar vars (new in PHP7), or using SPL object data structures instead of language primitive help here.
* PHP has had exceptions for almost 10 years now and a lot of functions still require you to use their specific error function to tell if it failed. So if you don't call say json_last_error, your code will SILENTLY return the wrong thing
I can't think of a function I regularly use besides json_encode that has this problem.
Much of that article was originally a disagreement with the approach PHP generally takes and is subjective in the first place. I'm not trying to sway people's opinion to actually use PHP, I'm just saying that despite the worts it is a capable language with an incredibly positive and productive community. It's no longer the dumpster fire it once was.
> 4 years later
> literally just became 2016
Yep, an article from 2012 is totally accurate and nothing has happened since.
I'm not into php dev anymore, by any means, but glancing at the improvements that have come through lately, even i have to admit that there's been a massive leap from 5.3 or so.
I'm not into php dev anymore, by any means, but glancing at the improvements that have come through lately, even i have to admit that there's been a massive leap from 5.3 or so.
You know, berating a programming language, just because it's older and not considered kind of "cool" or in vogue, is a clear display of intellectual juvenility. Also, you might want to know about a word called "slacking" which is a very real phenomenon, especially at workplaces.
You can cycle through different languages
haha you're right! very nice. C# is tolerable.
Click on the language near the top of the page, and it will shift to another one.
As per http://githut.info/, PHP is still third most used language on Github. Code produced in it is, not as buggy as it is in Python (if issues mostly contributes to bug reports, and not feature requests), the second most used language.
Those statistics don't tell you much beyond how popular the language is.
I really detest Reddit tbh (to be honest). It is just a continuous circle jerk of the common denominator making jokes and puns to appeal to the common denominator. People keep saying "that's just the default subreddits, try other subreddits!". But the entire site is build on the premise of collecting karma and getting awarded for appealing to as many people as possible. How else can you do this than to post content which appeals to the common denominator?
It's like people continuously patting themselves on their back for being so witty.
Having said that, if you are really so inclined to browse social media on your boss's clock and instead of looking at the real deal you have to cover it up by pretending to be working - you should sort your priorities.
It's like people continuously patting themselves on their back for being so witty.
Having said that, if you are really so inclined to browse social media on your boss's clock and instead of looking at the real deal you have to cover it up by pretending to be working - you should sort your priorities.
Hacker News is a basically just a reddit subredit. I really don't see any difference.
Sure, that happens. But Reddit has so much more to offer - case in point being the fellow that programmed Solitaire as an intern at Microsoft coming in and giving his personal story as a comment.
Reddit is full of shitposts and otherwise terrible things, but no more so than any other "social media" type of site.
Reddit is full of shitposts and otherwise terrible things, but no more so than any other "social media" type of site.
For anyone who missed it:
https://np.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/3zfadv/til_th...
Others dropped in as well... like the girlfriend who designed some of the card art, as well as a roommate or neighbour.
Others dropped in as well... like the girlfriend who designed some of the card art, as well as a roommate or neighbour.
Make an account and subscribe to subs that you are interested in. It's so much better than twitter for staying up to date with things.
+1 on this, once you get away from the front page there is quite a lot of good content for every imaginable topic!
Avoid the default subscriptions, they're absolute garbage. Reddit subcommunities, especially technical ones, have some fantastic discussion in them.
Right now, karma on Reddit is worth even less than it is on HN. Comment votes don't count towards your primary score!
That said, it's a weird position. HN is pretty much the same in structure as Reddit, only with (intentionally) worse UI. It doesn't make discussions shit. Yes, the common advice of "try other subreddits" is the key. Many topical subreddits have HN-quality discussions on them, and are frequented by experts in their particular domains. Those subreddits are probably one of the most trustworthy places on the Internet. You just have to check them out instead of judging everything in light of areas meant for the general population.
That said, it's a weird position. HN is pretty much the same in structure as Reddit, only with (intentionally) worse UI. It doesn't make discussions shit. Yes, the common advice of "try other subreddits" is the key. Many topical subreddits have HN-quality discussions on them, and are frequented by experts in their particular domains. Those subreddits are probably one of the most trustworthy places on the Internet. You just have to check them out instead of judging everything in light of areas meant for the general population.
What happens on those subreddits when someone comes along, or whether anyone comes along, and leaves a pointless "+1" or "This." or a joke in the vein of 'Reddit humor'? I don't use Reddit so I'm curious what a proponent thinks. HN has been in decline for at least 5 years (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2403696 -- it had a very high start) but it's still resistant to a lot of typical reddit culture. (As for bad UI I say a lot is just taste -- I think having all comments, and all comments expanded, is great. Maybe Reddit has a user preference for that though...)
Same thing that happens on HN - the comment gets ruthlessly downvoted and on some sunbreddits even outright deleted by mods. Three things most commonly discouraged: "+1" / "this" posts, typical Reddit jokes, and image macros. Often the latter are redirected to separate subreddits; i.e. for many /r/Something you'll have a corresponding /r/SomethingMemes, where the fans of laughing at pictures can vent out.
Different subs maintain different seriousness "set points" - for instance, to compare the two I hang out the most on, /r/SpaceX is almost HN-level serious. Stupid and low-effort comments get deleted, and you may get banned along with them. OTOH, /r/KerbalSpaceProgram is half-serious, half-silly (just like the game). It will upvote a joke, especially if it's good, but offensive and low-effort stuff gets downvoted to hell and then some. The community there likes to get some laugh, but is otherwise super-serious and super-kind.
One of the interesting things about Reddit is how easy it is to create a new subreddit. It's just few clicks away, and anyone can do that. So one of the effective ways of getting rid of particular kinds of comments and submissions is to just tell people to create a new sub for it. Like the /r/SomethingMemes I mentioned. /r/SpaceX has /r/HighStakesSpaceX, because people there like to bet way too much. /r/KerbalSpaceProgram has /r/HerbalSpaceProgram, because one day a popular YouTube video has spawned an unstoppable torrent of "dank" memes.
(OTOH if a subreddit goes beyond hopeless, people who long for higher levels of discourse sometimes restart it as /r/Serious... or /r/True..., and iterate as needed.).
Different subs maintain different seriousness "set points" - for instance, to compare the two I hang out the most on, /r/SpaceX is almost HN-level serious. Stupid and low-effort comments get deleted, and you may get banned along with them. OTOH, /r/KerbalSpaceProgram is half-serious, half-silly (just like the game). It will upvote a joke, especially if it's good, but offensive and low-effort stuff gets downvoted to hell and then some. The community there likes to get some laugh, but is otherwise super-serious and super-kind.
One of the interesting things about Reddit is how easy it is to create a new subreddit. It's just few clicks away, and anyone can do that. So one of the effective ways of getting rid of particular kinds of comments and submissions is to just tell people to create a new sub for it. Like the /r/SomethingMemes I mentioned. /r/SpaceX has /r/HighStakesSpaceX, because people there like to bet way too much. /r/KerbalSpaceProgram has /r/HerbalSpaceProgram, because one day a popular YouTube video has spawned an unstoppable torrent of "dank" memes.
(OTOH if a subreddit goes beyond hopeless, people who long for higher levels of discourse sometimes restart it as /r/Serious... or /r/True..., and iterate as needed.).
> HN has been in decline for at least 5 years...
I find it curiously amusing that EVERY online community is "in decline" at all times.
I discovered Usenet and IRC back in September, 1993. An epoch known in Internet cultural history as Eternal September (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal_September). The Internet has literally been in decline since I discovered it!
Back in the day, even in its prime, every other comment on Slashdot was a meta discussion of how badly Slashdot was declining.
Reddit started out as a site for top-level post content only. When they added support for comments, 10 years ago, the VERY FIRST comment in Reddit history was a claim that Reddit was going downhill! (https://www.reddit.com/r/reddit.com/comments/17913/reddit_no...)
I believe that the "sweet spot" for on online community is one to three months after you've discovered it. Just long enough to get comfortable with its internal cultural cues and quirks and in-jokes, and feel like an insider. Once that point is reached, familiarity immediately starts shifting into contempt. You're never quite able to recapture that novel feeling of initial discover and inclusion, and so it feels like decline whether it is or not.
I find it curiously amusing that EVERY online community is "in decline" at all times.
I discovered Usenet and IRC back in September, 1993. An epoch known in Internet cultural history as Eternal September (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal_September). The Internet has literally been in decline since I discovered it!
Back in the day, even in its prime, every other comment on Slashdot was a meta discussion of how badly Slashdot was declining.
Reddit started out as a site for top-level post content only. When they added support for comments, 10 years ago, the VERY FIRST comment in Reddit history was a claim that Reddit was going downhill! (https://www.reddit.com/r/reddit.com/comments/17913/reddit_no...)
I believe that the "sweet spot" for on online community is one to three months after you've discovered it. Just long enough to get comfortable with its internal cultural cues and quirks and in-jokes, and feel like an insider. Once that point is reached, familiarity immediately starts shifting into contempt. You're never quite able to recapture that novel feeling of initial discover and inclusion, and so it feels like decline whether it is or not.
Yeah, it's a meme as old as the internet (and decline is older still), but I still think it's true. There are the rare occasions I've seen though where you have long plateaus (years, not just a few months), sometimes even upswings (and not just from judicious ban-hammering), but you either die in relative high quality on those plateaus or live long enough to see yourself become a subreddit.
Why on Earth you want to appeal to anyone? Karma on Reddit has zero worth. If you want to gather reputation on StackOverflow I can understand it. But on Reddit? No reason. I actually only read the Clojure and the DwarfFortress subreddits and I never experienced anything like that.
People like levelling up.
[deleted]
If you get on reddit at work for work-related reasons, you should be fine - and if you won't be, this isn't going to help with the problems in your office.