Pattern:

1) YC user is on drugs, has just completed what he considers to be a hacking feat, or is otherwise mentally stoked, and feels the irrepressible need to share what music he likes.

2) YC user realises that he can tell the world what he likes by posting a news item about it under the pretense of asking what other people like, oblivious to the fact that no one really cares. Note that if said user really cared what others liked, he perhaps would not include his own taste in the post. But he doesn't - this is expressive, one-way-only.

3) Some other YC users feel the same need and so congregate on that thread and reply with their own musical taste. Note that there is no actual discussion (how could there be?), just a bunch of people shouting their tastes into a tube with no one at the other end.

4) YC is less valuable for it.

5) Rinse, repeat every few weeks.

http://searchyc.com/music :

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=132026 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=61831 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=144666 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=139901 etc, ad nauseam.

Am I the only one who thinks this?

Pattern: everyone points to old stuff.

Things like this can change from the last posting.

Maybe the YC user has his programming community needs filled up, but also has a love for music which this forum does not slake. In which case we should refer YC user to OCRemix forums and come back when he is satisfied.

I do agree, but I often find new sources for music I like in these threads. I get some value from that.

True, I can get that value countless other ways, and it's not all that hacker-specific, but it's not as bad as you suggest.

If nothing else, someone down the road will be able to use these threads for their Master's thesis on how hackers' taste in music changes over time. :p

"YC is less valuable for it."

I don't think so.

If YC became less valuable every time someone disagreed or posted something questionable, there'd be nothing left. We'll be fine. Lighten up.

I'm not saying we won't be fine :-)

However, a thread like this is not a discussion. Of the bunch of replies other than my one (and its associated meta-discussion), every single one is a "me too"-like statement that "this is what I listen to". And how could it be another way? We are all different people with different tastes and there is no singular "hacker music" that's best suited to programming.

So, an Ask-YC like this:

- doesn't bring anything new to the table in the OP (particularly since it's been done many times before)

- brings nothing in the comments

- is theoretically incapable of doing either anyway

Therefore, it's a complete waste of space. There could be an insightful article on the front page in its stead, but instead, all there is is this vacuous nothing. YC is worse for it, not better - YC thrives despite the presence of this kind of thread, not because of it.

> there is no singular "hacker music" that's best suited to programming.

Heathen! Your playlist should consist exclusively of death metal, '70s rock and 160BPM techno. Any comprehensible lyrics are distracting and should be banished.

I dont know if the thought ever entered your block head that the writer of this post wanted to know the type of music other hackers listen to and not to declare a particular type of music as being "hacker music". Although you stated that the question has been posted before, you also made a presumption that everybody joined hacker news at the same time and every body keeps tabs on what is being posted and makes sure that he doesnt do a repeat of a post. that isnt so, new people join hacker news everyday and ask questions, so it is inevitable that the same questions may be repeated, giving the fact that YC news doesnt have search natively. downmod me for all i care but i have stated my points clearly. thanks.

Hackers are people, spread around the world and all social classes. They listen to all types of music.

I would be shocked to find any kind of music that some hacker somewhere doesn't listen to.

Therefore, the question is as meaningless as asking what colour hackers' hair is. Or what they eat.

Also, the idea of HN turning into an endless repetition of the same questions that new people ask all the time because they don't know that they've been asked before proves my point quite thoroughly: it's not a good future for HN.

People share tastes trying to find similar people.

This probably isn't right approach or medium.

I don't listen to music while i program. I listen mostly to hardcore and punk and that's is not good for your concentration. I have 2 tracks with boring D'n'B stuff witch i listen to while i read, but not while i write. While im just browsing and wasting time on the net i listen to HC and Punk and sometimes some metal stuff. If anybody wants more specific details about my taste he/she can check me out on http://www.last.fm/user/pavelludia

20 minutes of free jazz or grindcore before hacking and time passes a lot slower.

Expanding on this: I don't listen to music while programming. If it can be treated as background music, then it's too boring to hold my attention when I need to get distracted for a moment. I try to listen to some challenging music before programming to get focused, and it seems to be working.

Online music is what I listen to mostly these days as my browser is always on. I love listening to some of these tracks in particular

http://muziboo.com/song/list/nitindubey23?order=2

Anyone into Indian music here? :)

Disclaimer: Link from my startup.

I stream KEXP out of Seattle most of the time- big fan of the variety- esp new music, indie bands, some hip hop, and a smattering of everything else... I had messed around with a trial of Pandora, spent some time going through radio feeds from all over the world, and KEXP was consistently my favorite.

I thought about trying Pandora. What was your opinion of it?

No music during programming. The only exception is to build a accoustic protection against typical noise-office. In this case, I hear electronical music or lounge music (most important: no voice!).

Boards of Canada, Brian Eno, and other ambient stuff. Stereolab is also good. There's also this 13 minute ambient song by American Analog Set that is awesome for work: Late One Sunday.

http://www.last.fm/user/xenoterracide/ easiest way to find out what I'm listening to.

bassdrive.com or protonradio.com

trance, dance, and techno. Basically anything that sounds techy

somafm.com and 90's rock music.

groove based music only

I kind of like the music of evanescence, it gets me into the mood almost immediately.