[jimnotgym]

I see this as a very hn type commenting. Nitpicking over semantics rather than engaging the whole. Your comment is fine, but the whole response in the rest of the thread is boorish.

I'm fine with friend or foe, because they are in reality, just coloured blobs

[jotaen]

I think there is a difference between “nitpicking” and “discussing” details. I personally do not see any nitpicking in OP’s comment, I rather see it as valuable and well-presented contribution to the general (wholistic) discussion.

To me, your response would have been just fine with only the last sentence.

[cassepipe]

For once a "this is a very HN" comment seems earned but I think it just marks you at not really the target audience for HN

One of the reason we come to HN is that curiosity and caring about details is rewarded and makes for great discussion

Also your comment has no substance. I stand totally unimpressed by your opposition between the whole and the details and I fail to see how this is relevant. Care to explain what tackling the whole would look like ?

Or are you just trying to handwawe away some potential issue you are too lazy to consider just because you like the project ?

Note that IIRC the guidelines ask you to refrain from "This is HN/reddit" comments because they are fundamentally uninteresting (and lazy)

[jimnotgym]

> I think it just marks you at not really the target audience for HN

This has some pretty serious connotations. I have been here for an awful long time for someone who is not a target audience, please take a moment of self reflection at that.

I don't think nitpicking is a synonym for 'caring about details'. I am acusing commenters of picking on unimportant details, and I'm acusing them of doing it because it is easier than the more substantive concerns that are further down the thread. It looks superficially clever, but is actually just pedantry.

> because you like the project ?

That kind of statement is intellectually dishonest. I wont be installing this extension, but not because of a name for the buttons that didn't form part of the UI.

> Note that IIRC the guidelines ask you to refrain from

Well, I just checked rather than relying on the my fallible memory and, and I don't believe it does. If you want to police people's comments, perhaps take a little more care.

[cassepipe]

I admit to overreacting sorry about that.

> It looks superficially clever, but is actually just pedantry.

I'll just defend why is think this is not in fact pedantry but a genuine concern : The "great divide" is now such commonplace, especially in the US, with people living in their online and media environment bubbles that "gardens" like HN are more valuable than ever. The world is already tribal enough as it it. "friend" or "foe" encourages tribal behaviour instead of engaging with different viewpoints. Tribal behaviour is deeply ingrained in all of us and nothing to scoff at. The extension encourages glossing over diverging viewpoints, setting yourself up to dismiss quickly. I just don't think that's in the spirit of HN. There's already community moderation to prune comments who are failing HN guidelines.

You are indeed correct about the guidelines. This is the part I remembered wrongly:

> Please don't post comments saying that HN is turning into Reddit.

However I don't think it would be against the spirit of the law to extend the guidelines with "Don't make comments about the general population of HN. Such vague generalizations bring nothing interesting to the table"

[croes]

Words change perception.

There is a reason why in the current political climate in the US people who don’t agree are labeled literally foes.

Repeat it often enough and your perception will change.

Words have power.