I think the point is to have the viewer at least try to read the long version. If they can't or won't, they can quickly scroll down.
TL;DRs at the top are just like attention grabbing headlines and opening paragraphs that often don't tell you the whole picture, either on purpose or simply because it's impossible to do so in a sentence/paragraph.
I can plead guilty of seeking attention (I figure 'commenting' is the first such step), but I thought the very length of that post is already by far its most salient aspect. I don't think a foreword changes anything to the big picture. ;-)
Also, on HN of all places, I resent doing that (long pieces), I must delete 4 out of 5 such write ups before posting — self-restrain to keep the place neat, once done it must meet high enough standards for me to actually post, i.e. "would I learn something from this?". So there's structure, and an 'abstract' naturally emerges from that.
Now the "TL;DR" up top is really practical, I care not for sensationalism, not the slightest. I just want to inform people so they can quickly decide whether to dive or skip. I like that myself as a reader (call it anti-click-bait, honest-to-god synthesis).
Oh I didn't mean you specifically, just in general if TL;DRs were on top, more people would not understand or misunderstand what an article/post actually says.
I agree. But that’s authors goal. They spend a bunch of effort on the long form and they want it to be read.
From a reader perspective,, especially in a mobile ui setting, it would be nice to know up front the content is lengthy and there is a TLDR at the bottom. It’s not necessary to start with the TLDR. I just find a lot of content I bail on because my initial interest level did not align with the time investment. The New Yorker style of journalism.
Executive Summary slides are my analogy. They always lead, raise a ton of questions, and the answers are forthcoming if you want to sit through the presentation. But don’t be that guy who starts drilling in with granular questions during this stage of a presentation
You're welcome and I'm glad my intention quite perfectly matches your expectations.
I'm pro 'reader's choice' indeed! An informed 'skip' button up top is really just good hospitality while someone reads my post, me thinks. Like those "get started"-quick pages when hesitating to RTFM.
TL;DRs at the top are just like attention grabbing headlines and opening paragraphs that often don't tell you the whole picture, either on purpose or simply because it's impossible to do so in a sentence/paragraph.