I find the exact opposite. Over the past year there's been way too much politics, too much anti-business hoopla, too much general news that you can find anywhere, too much negativity, and generally less focus on interesting hacker oriented stuff. This site really as become "Hacker" News in name only. It's now heavily populated by a lot of people who didn't grow up immersed in the hacker ethos, and who don't share the values, traits and attitudes that have defined that community over the years.
I mean, being anti-business is a huge part of the hacker ethos. The whole pro-startup thing being associated with hackers at all is pretty new. So, by returning to anti-business sentiments, HN returns to the hacker ethos of ~1994.
I mean, being anti-business is a huge part of the hacker ethos.
FWIW, I never really saw it that way... my perception was that it was more of an "anti BIG business" and "anti proprietary / locked-down / walled garden ecosystem" sentiment. But that's not the same as business per-se. Lots of hackers started businesses and even rms says that selling software for money is fine, so long as user freedom is preserved.
That said, you have a fair point about the startup/hacker "thing" being a little more modern. Then again, 1994 was a pretty long time ago now. So I guess one could argue the point about whether that should be accepted as part of the hacker ethos or not at this point.
>more of an "anti BIG business" and "anti proprietary / locked-down / walled garden ecosystem" sentiment
The early days of the computer industry, at least, are nothing like that. The founders of Microsoft were hackers of the highest order, but weren't "anti BIG business" or "anti proprietary".
Likewise with the founders of Apple, HP, and countless more.
>heavily populated by a lot of people who didn't grow up immersed in the hacker ethos, and who don't share the values, traits and attitudes that have defined that community over the years
IOW - it's growing. That is neither good nor bad on its own. It just is.
Communities change through time - for better, worse, and neutral.
Who cares? I've found articles better than PG's best essays on at least a weekly basis. There are billions to choose from -- losing PG isn't going to make much of a dent.
Also, his last essays that I can remember, defending wealth inequality, were uninformed rbagege and (rightly) excoriated on HN and the wider media.
I don't see you having submitted the "better" articles to HN -- can you provide a list of such articles you have found so frequently, let's say for the last 12 weeks?
Incidentally, your comment seems rather hostile towards the man who founded YC, created HN, and set the original quality and tone of this online community.
I don't care to provide them. You're welcome to disagree.
My comment certainly is hostile toward PG. He isn't God. I don't have to worship him, even if I'm on his site. Do you think reddit has no discussions critical of its founders?.
PG or the mods are free to kick me off if my comments about him bother them.