Exactly. However, once upon a time, this site also had a tradition of not downvoting people all that much for comments that were simply a bit inane or misguided, rather than actively trolling or flaming.
I'd like to concur on that. I was a bit surprised when I got -4'd for stating that a website ad caused trouble on Opera (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=491583). Perhaps I sounded harsh as well, but still, the goal was just to help...
Just look at how much chatter it created for something not relevant. Perhaps it's off-topic, but it was interesting to hear HN's views on what is and isn't correct.
Re:Last.fm: "Techcrunch are full of shit"
by jackzombie on Tuesday February 24, 2009 @01:06AM
(#492723)
Very true. Proper grammar is important, and this forum is as good as any place to clear up any questions so that mistakes can be avoided in the future.
Probably because his comment isn't interesting, isn't relevant, and doesn't contribute to discussion. There are all kinds of true but uninteresting comments one can make, but making them shouldn't be encouraged.
Edit: I'm sorry if that sounds harsh, but actively discouraging uninteresting comments is what keeps the signal:noise ratio high here.