> Please respond to the strongest plausible interpretation of what someone says, not a weaker one that's easier to criticize. Assume good faith.
[1]: https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
In this case, the parent commenter probably meant that "newbie web developers" are likely to choose MongoDB. Of course, web developers have a range of experience, some new, some seasoned.
Regarding your comment, I am reminded of a pattern in online behavior over time: people seem to take offense more easily. Please take a look at https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/how-do-life/201410/t... to understand what I mean.
Based on seeing how comments like this may get interpreted, as well as broader thinking about online communication, I think HN should consider a more nuanced system of comment feedback mechanisms.
I don't have a particular plan finalized, but I would like to see HN provide feedback on different aspects of the comment. Below are some important aspects:
To what degree does the reader / voter... *
1. agree/disagee with the comment?
2. find the comment relevant / irrelevant to the topic as a whole?
3. find the comment is situated in the correct / incorrect location in the thread? (e.g. responding to the parent comment or not) 4. find the comment interesting / uninteresting?
5. think the comment adds to a diversity of perspectives?
6. find the comment clear / unclear?
7. think the comment aligns / (does not align) with the HN Guidelines: https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
8. find the comment welcoming / offensive?
* When I write '/' above, I intend it to be a continuum; e.g. hot/cold means "in the continuum between hot and cold).
Additionally, being able to give feedback in a more granular fashion could be of use. For example, in my comment above, I would not be surprised if a significant number of people were bothered/offended by my commentary that people seem to be taking offense more easily. Some would call this ironic -- I wouldn't -- I think it gives more data to prove the point.
Motivations: my goal here is not to gain or lose karma -- I care very little about karma here, precisely because it is so muddled and varied from person to person -- as long as I have enough to participate fully. My goal is to learn and play a small part in fostering awareness and community, while hopefully to motivating others to reflect on their impact on the community here.
> "Newbie webdev (aren’t they all) uses MongoDB because it’s easy to use according to blogs and twitter"
I'm not sure if I completely missed the "aren't they all" part or if the comment got edited.*
So, clearly, in response to "aren't they all", the response by sophiebits above makes complete sense.
* This makes me wonder, is a comment locked for editing once a reply gets added?
It’s always the same
1. Newbie webdev (aren’t they all) uses MongoDB because it’s easy to use according to blogs and twitter
2. Somehow it makes it into production
3. A dozen experienced engineers spend years trying to keep it running