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TechQuiet · 24h

Security researcher publishes guide to predictable Hacker News comments

A tongue-in-cheek breakdown of recurring comment patterns on the tech news site.

newest coverage 1d agosummary written 21h ago5 pieces125 likes & upvotes10 comments MastodonHacker NewsLobstersNewswires

What to know

  • A security researcher published a satirical taxonomy of recurring Hacker News comment types, including appeal-to-authority, humble brags, and dismissals based on tangential details.
  • The guide resonated enough to circulate across multiple tech platforms (Mastodon, Hacker News, Lobsters) within hours, suggesting widespread recognition of the patterns.
  • The post itself exemplifies meta-commentary: a guide to commenting that documents predictable behaviors on a site known for predictable behaviors.

Łukasz Czarnecki Security researcher, creator

Security researcher publishes guide to predictable Hacker News comments
satire,vibecoding

How it unfolded 3 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts

Peak 3 pieces in one half hour at Yesterday, 12 PM; 5 pieces over 26 hours (1 article · 4 posts) Yesterday, 11:38 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Yesterday, 12:08 PM — quietYesterday, 12:38 PM — 3 pieces · 1 article · 2 posts — Hacker News 1, Mastodon 1, Newswires 1Yesterday, 1:08 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Lobsters 1Yesterday, 1:38 PM — quietYesterday, 2:08 PM — quietYesterday, 2:38 PM — quietYesterday, 3:08 PM — quietYesterday, 3:38 PM — quietYesterday, 4:08 PM — quietYesterday, 4:38 PM — quietYesterday, 5:08 PM — quietYesterday, 5:38 PM — quietYesterday, 6:08 PM — quietYesterday, 6:38 PM — quietYesterday, 7:08 PM — quietYesterday, 7:38 PM — quietYesterday, 8:08 PM — quietYesterday, 8:38 PM — quietYesterday, 9:08 PM — quietYesterday, 9:38 PM — quietYesterday, 10:08 PM — quietYesterday, 10:38 PM — quietYesterday, 11:08 PM — quietYesterday, 11:38 PM — quietToday, 12:08 AM — quietToday, 12:38 AM — quietToday, 1:08 AM — quietToday, 1:38 AM — quietToday, 2:08 AM — quietToday, 2:38 AM — quietToday, 3:08 AM — quietToday, 3:38 AM — quietToday, 4:08 AM — quietToday, 4:38 AM — quietToday, 5:08 AM — quietToday, 5:38 AM — quietToday, 6:08 AM — quietToday, 6:38 AM — quietToday, 7:08 AM — quietToday, 7:38 AM — quietToday, 8:08 AM — quietToday, 8:38 AM — quietToday, 9:08 AM — quietToday, 9:38 AM — quietToday, 10:08 AM — quietToday, 10:38 AM — quietToday, 11:08 AM — quietToday, 11:38 AM — quietToday, 12:08 PM — quietToday, 12:38 PM — quietToday, 1:08 PM — quiet 12–3
4 PMtoday8 AMnow · 1:38 PM ET
  1. 3

    Post gains traction on Hacker News and Lobsters

    The guide was submitted to Hacker News and Lobsters news aggregators where it accumulated upvotes and began circulating among tech communities, with the HN post reaching 9 points.

    “I agree that the emergence of the techno-surveillance state is appalling. But as the lead of facial recognition at Flock, I just don't know what a single person can do.”
    — Unknown commenter, Hacker News user · source
    1. 1 outlet A Skill.md for Commenting on Hacker News

      first by HN Frontpage, 1d ago

  2. 2

    Full guide published on Czarnecki's blog

    Czarnecki published the complete SKILL.md guide on his blog, expanding beyond the initial Mastodon post with additional recurring comment archetypes including SF Bay Area humble brags, appeals to expertise, and dismissals of established frameworks.

  3. 1

    Czarnecki posts satirical guide to Hacker News commenting patterns

    Security researcher Łukasz Czarnecki posted to Mastodon a satirical breakdown of recurring comment patterns on Hacker News, highlighting how commenters often quote the weakest tangential sentence and dismiss articles without engaging with the main thesis.

    “SKILL.md for commenting on Hacker News: 1) Read the article. 2) Find and quote the weakest sentence. Must be tangential to the main thesis. 3) "This makes me not want to read the article."”
    — Łukasz Czarnecki
    • lcamtuf

      SKILL.md for commenting on Hacker News: 1) Read the article. 2) Find and quote the weakest sentence. Must be tangential to the main thesis. 3) "This makes me not want to read the article."

      lcamtufMastodon1d ago18▲view on Mastodon ↗