HN Explorer

Ask HN: How long does it take for the "More" link to return "expired link"?

5 points by oziumjinx ↗ HN
At the bottom of HN pages is a "More" link to go to the next page of links. Often times this return "link expired" or something of the sorts. How long does it take for you to be sitting on a page before this kicks in?

6 comments

[ 2.6 ms ] story [ 23.9 ms ] thread
wmf
It depends on server load, but 30 minutes will usually do it.
benologist
Not long enough, it feels like it's 5 - 10 minutes.

What's the benefit of doing it like that rather than a page=x or offset=x?

JoachimSchipper
You get to see the second page as it was when you opened the front page, i.e. no duplicate/missing stories.
benologist
Ah that makes sense. In that context it's an interesting question on how to handle 'expiring'.
JoachimSchipper
HN is written in arc, and many links point to thunks/closures ("if the user clicks on this link, run the following function on the current data"). IIRC, such thunks are valid until the memory is needed for something else.

So it depends on server load; maybe it's time for another memory upgrade.

instakill
It's usually around 15 - 20 minutes. Makes me feel like a bomb defuser, having to make sure to get to the next page before time runs out whilst working on other tabs.