Show HN: I made a tool to hide HN usernames and reduce bias

This isn't really a problem given how discreet the usernames on this site are, as opposed to other sites with profile pics or bold usernames. By default I don't really notice the author as I'm reading each comment, so I'm not sure where this supposed bias is coming from.

bluefirebrand · 3 years ago

Honestly the only time I even really notice usernames is when I find one person who is replying to a lot of threads in a single post.

Often I notice it because they are repeating the same rhetoric over and over, and it's usually something I strongly disagree with.

Even in those cases, I haven't internalized the names enough to recognize them in other threads.

YLE118 · 3 years ago

I think twice I've read a post and thought oh hey that sounds like X. Mostly because of some niche knowledge that I've seen on here before and possibly interacted with. It's possible I'm strange though, I rarely read authors of articles unless they seem familiar or are worth recommending.

jdefelice · 3 years ago

The only time I look at usernames is when looking at thread replies to see if the person replying is the same.

jarrenae · 3 years ago

A recent comment by dang mentioned that some users request specific usernames that are already taken (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32133471 ), and there was a bit of pushback and confusion about it.

I'd agree, the impact is minimal, but if you're an avid reader of the site, it's easy to start recognizing usernames if you're that sort of person. Situational for sure.

If someone now adds quoted green text to it we've gone full circle.

krapp · 3 years ago

I made a userscript for that once, ages ago. It stopped working after HN updated something and I was too lazy to fix it. It made threads a lot more readable, honestly.

copperx · 3 years ago

I want to believe there's no path from the HN vertex to the 4chan one.

krapp · 3 years ago

> I want to believe there's no path from the HN vertex to the 4chan one.

Oh sweet summer child: https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=moot

Kaze404 · 3 years ago

It wasn't even 30 minutes ago that I read someone defending a nuclear war as it would (paraphrasing) "solve the problem of overpopulation while also taking down some commies".

gruez · 3 years ago

egberts1 · 3 years ago

There’s quite a few HN usernames who have bot-like quality and post nothing but random news all day/all year.

This tool would not help us.

resonious · 3 years ago

I usually don't even look at the usernames. In fact I sometimes go back to read all the usernames just to see if the same person is appearing twice in a thread.

hammyhavoc · 3 years ago

I quite honestly don't even look at the names, I just look at what people have to say. Why? Because people can have quite rational, grounded, informed opinions and insight on one field, yet have completely off-the-mark, borderline tinfoil-hat-crap in another. Doesn't mean I don't respect the person, just means that no person knows everything, and putting anybody on a pedestal is something that is eventually going to hurt you and them too.

the-anarchist · 3 years ago

adeleine · 3 years ago

When you're so impervious to bias that you don't even know that people have a problem with it.

Joking aside, have you thought of porting this into a simple user script that anyone can install? That would also mean support for all other browsers, and people don't have to use Google services.

That's a good point. I'll probably do that and add it to the site!

robobro · 3 years ago

Makes me think of: https://wakaba.c3.cx/shii/shiichan

alex1212 · 3 years ago

This is interesting but not necessarily useful as most usernames are quite cryptic to begin with