[readme]

I would take this a step further and say it happens when any project or software gets mentioned on HN. There are always two groups of people: Those who like it, and those who don't. Those who don't are usually composed of a lot of people who don't actually care, but just thrive on contradicting people.

I'd say it's more of a personality phenomenon, but acknowledge the possibility you present as well.

[tedunangst]

Part of the problem is the people who like it insist that everybody must like it and anybody who doesn't like it just doesn't get it. I don't get upset when people talk about things that made their lives better, I get upset when they make unqualified statements about my life.

[rsl7]

And the majority of people aren't motivated enough either way to comment, so we listen to the vocal minority with extreme views. Like everywhere in life.

[jmilloy]

And those who do are often composed of people who just like to be excited by new things that seem cool. Or we could describe both populations in a more positive light.

[tossacct]

Theoretically, we might only recognize about half of those contradictors at any one time.

If these theoretical contradictors are evenly distributed, spherical, and massless, then it seems natural that around 50% will be busy contradicting other contradictors, and writing well thought out and earnest posts about how great the software is.

One can only hope that they all get sent out into a vacuum.