zlacker

Wow a lot of people have very strong feelings about this. Parent comment is fine but some of the replies are quite out there, calling this "arrogant" and "dumb". Let me provide my own opinion.

IMO content over style. Nobody owes you adherence to a particular set of rules, nor do they owe you their thoughts at all. If the writer's style is a bridge too far for you, kindly just close the tab, don't complain about it. Certainly don't use hateful words to describe them.

Remember, the same English teachers who taught you to capitalize also taught you that there is no singular "they" and that you should use "he/she" instead.

>>aftbit+(OP)
> If the writer's style is a bridge too far for you, kindly just close the tab, don't complain about it.

I sure hope we are allowed to criticize writers’ styles.

>>aftbit+(OP)
I think that while authors are obviously free to make whatever stylistic choices they want, it's also valid for readers to point it out when those choices are so distracting that it interferes with the intended message of the writing (as long as it's done civilly). It reminds me of another recent-ish article that was posted to HN that used uncommon ligatures looping between certain letters, where a large part of that discussion was centered around how distracting that was.

As an author, if you notice that your style choices are generating more interest and discussion than the actual content of your writing, it's probably worth considering whether the reasons that led you to those choices are really worth taking away from the messages you're trying to convey. Seeing as how the author of this post chimed in here to call their use of lowercase an "asshole filter," I suppose it's clear where they stand on that question.

I can see a future where we'll have browser extensions that use generative AI to "correct" style and grammar of articles to match the preferences of the reader, at which point stylistic choices may cease to matter as much.

>>layer8+ya
I mean ... https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

> Please don't complain about tangential annoyances—e.g. article or website formats, name collisions, or back-button breakage. They're too common to be interesting.

>>aftbit+(OP)
> Nobody owes you adherence to a particular set of rules, nor do they owe you their thoughts at all.

What the hell? English has rules. If those rules aren't followed, it makes communication needlessly more difficult.

This isn't just a typo we're talking about. This is someone making a deliberate choice to be harder to understand because they see it as quirky and cool.

>>nickit+7a1
No capitalization is not a tangential annoyance, it is a major complain akin to complaining about a text written in one block (without anything distinguishing sentences and paragraphs from each other).

>>aftbit+(OP)
>> Remember, the same English teachers who taught you to capitalize also taught you that there is no singular "they" and that you should use "he/she" instead.

That is a completely different story. Using "they" is about respect. Using a standard form of writing is about making reading easier.

>>tredre+4f1
It seems to be something new generations are increasingly doing. I remember someone saying that he was texting with his gen-z child, and the child felt like properly capitalized sentences sound like they are formally chiding you. I've learnt to mirror whomever I'm talking to (e.g. on Slack at work).

>>machom+O82
i strongly disagree and i think you do too.

whichofthesesentencesdidyoufindeasiertoreadhowcouldyoueventhinkthatinthefirstplace

>>aftbit+fD3
i said sentences and paragraphs not words not having punctuation is absolutely akin to not capitalizing after all new lines and dots are designed and are working together and in unison to when combined convey the important information information of separation of pieces of information ways of compartmentalization if anything capitalized words are more visible than dots