HN Explorer

Ask HN: What are some alternatives to HN?

199 points by _vya7 ↗ HN
Specifically, sites where you can post links and comment on them, but with a focus on technical topics.

EDIT: it's okay if it's not a popular (yet) site, just looking for all the options

EDIT2: this isn't a complaint about HN, just asking

EDIT3: please post them in auto-link format, thanks a ton

206 comments

[ 2.9 ms ] story [ 254 ms ] thread
ColinWright
http://lobste.rs
aweb
I really like the way Lobsters works. It allows very interesting discussions without flaming or useless posts. However, it's also the reason why I can't join them, unfortunately. It'd be a joy to participate in such a community!
xmonkee
Why can't you join them?
akama
They are invite only.
phlo
Judging by your comment history, I can't spot a reason not to risk sending an invitation. My email address is in my profile, ping me if you're interested.
untothebreach
At the risk of being 'that guy,' any chance you could spare an invite for me?
roryokane
The inviter needs to know your email address to send you an invite. I suggest just putting your email in your HN profile (https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=untothebreach). You can obfuscate it if you’re worried about harvesting. Or if you only want to share the address temporarily, for this thread, post it at https://onetimesecret.com/.

You comments seem fine, so I would invite you if I knew your email address.

qworty
does anyone have an invite for my for lobste.rs would be great, don't get why it's a closed community.
phlo
I actually bookmarked your post on vi mode in bash a couple of months ago. That'll do as proof you're worthy. :-) My email address is listed in my profile. Ping me for an invite.
jamesbritt
... don't get why it's a closed community.

I believe the idea is that people get in by invitation; if a member ends up being a problem (i.e. gets down-voted too often or something) then not only are they booted but so is the person who invited them.

This being the case, people need to exercise some care before sending an invite since that person's behavior will be reflected back on them.

It's an interesting approach to growing a community.

balladeer
> then not only are they booted but so is the person who invited them.

I understand why this was put in place there but that's the reason I don't really invite others. I have no way of knowing whether he or she will be down-voted.

Still, it's better to get kicked out and know that, than being shadow-banned and not knowing what attracted that.

krapp
It's better... but I still think it's a bit fascist. To each their own, though.
dmunoz
I really like lobste.rs' tagging system, and appreciate that it lets me focus on what I am interested in at that moment in time.
Spittie
I really wish HN would have tags, that's the killer feature of lobster for me (Someone posted http://newshack.io/ a while ago, which is an interface for HN with automatically generated tags, but I don't find it as good).

I've mixed feelings instead toward it being invite only - From one side, the fact that your account is something "precious" can encourage smart/intelligent discussions, and it's also hard for trolls/spammers to get in (and easier for the moderators to ban them permanently).

On the other side instead I like open communities, where the barrier to entry is very low (for example HN, or the always hated 4chan). Not that I can have a strong opinion about the lobster community, as I read it from time to time, but don't have an account on it.

burntsushi
Lobsters has an invitation queue that you can enter. That's how I joined. I got an invite in about an hour.
roryokane
Your HN comment history shows you’re not a spammer. I’ve sent you an invite, to the email address in your profile.
bambax
I'd like one too! ;-) (My email's in my profile.)
NicoJuicy
I'm also creating a hackernews with tags (but more for SMB and personalisation (eg. news,interests, ...))
jamesbritt
People who might like a Lobsters invite should make their E-mail known in their profile.

(Having some contact info in your HN profile is probably a good idea in general. I think the likelihood of spam is pretty low.)

stcredzero
My email is in my profile (human readable)
futurist
A lobster invite would be nice. Thanks in advance.
yigitcakar
If you can, can you invite me to lobste.rs? It seems like a community that I would be proud to be a part of. Thanks in advance. You can invite me through ygtckr()gmail.com
protomyth
Has anyone used the code for a private discussion board? I am looking for one for a community college and the tagging and invites look nice.
3pt14159
I'd like an invite to lobste.rs if someone has one.
ufmace
With the requests pinging around here, I'll say it explicitly - I'm a member, and I'm happy to send an invite to any active HNer.
sandis
An invite would be awesome!
[dead] ufmace
Sure, just need an email address - can't see one in your profile. The normal email field is only visible to site admins, I think.
madsushi
One more.
[dead] ufmace
Sure, just need an email address - can't see one in your profile. The normal email field is only visible to site admins, I think.
jonalmeida
I've been trying to get an invite for a while now. If you have the time/invites, I'd really appreciate it!

Thanks :)

datawander
Same here, thanks!
[dead] ufmace
Sure, just need an email address - can't see one in your profile. The normal email field is only visible to site admins, I think.
mnazim
Me too, please. (Email in profile)
joe_the_user
That sounds nice...

Do you need information?

soarer
I'd appreciate an invite and my email is listed in profile.
[dead] ufmace
Sure, just need an email address - can't see one in your profile. The normal email field is only visible to site admins, I think.
assholesRppl2
Invite would be great!!
[dead] ufmace
Sure, just need an email address - can't see one in your profile. The normal email field is only visible to site admins, I think.
hadem
If you still have invites available, I'd be happy to take one off your hands :-) Thanks!
ufmace
Sure, just need an email address - can't see one in your profile
hadem
I'm sorry about that. I didn't realize that the email field in our profiles was private. I have updated my profile for you. Thanks again!
codygman
Hey, I'd like an invite too if it's not too much trouble. My email is in my profile as well.

EDIT: I see that if I were to get downvoted you would be punished in some way on lobste.rs? You may want to checkout my comment history and make sure it isn't likely to get you kicked off the site ;)

_august
This looks intriguing, I'd love an invite!
hrabago
Can I get an invite too?
ufmace
Sure, just need an email address - can't see one in your profile. The normal email field is only visible to site admins, I think.
jbinto
An invite would be great. My email is in my profile.
rivd
Yes please, invite me as well :)
marcamillion
I bet you didn't anticipate such a response.

I wouldn't mind an invite too please :)

ufmace
Wow, yeah, this'll take a few minutes to go through. Half think I ought to write a program to do it.
zxter
Thank you in advance. If you send me an invite to the e-mail in my profile I'll be happy.
nhayden
Lots of requests I know, but I'd also like one please. haydendotsa@gmail.com if needed.
endtime
I'd love an invite - thanks!
trentmb
Hey! I had to write a FizzBuzz routine for my lobsters invite.
ufmace
I was on that Reddit thread too. I wrote one even after the guy giving them out said you didn't really have to.

Thought about doing it here, but, this being HN, I'd probably start getting FizzBuzzes in something unreadable like Brainfuck or Perl, plus 20 other languages I've never heard of.

Reddit's so big and diverse, I don't know that I'd accept somebody into Lobsters just based on reddit history, but a decent HN history/karma seems good enough for me.

sidmitra
Hi, would love an invite too. I've been lurking lobsters occasionally till now.
xerophtye
Ok, I am curious what resides in this walled garden. Invite me too please.

Syed.musa.ali@outlook.com

personjerry
I would like an invite too please :) personjerry@gmail.com
pgl
I would also like an invite, please and thank you.
[dead] ufmace
Sure, just need an email address - can't see one in your profile. The normal email field is only visible to site admins, I think.
vangale
Yet another request for invite... please?
[dead] ufmace
Sure, just need an email address - can't see one in your profile. The normal email field is only visible to site admins, I think.
hackmiester
I wouldn't mind one. My email is in my profile.
ufmace
Sure, just need an email address - can't see one in your profile. The normal email field is only visible to site admins, I think.
hackmiester
Oh, I didn't realize that. hfuller at pixilic.com
balac
An invite would be great: balaclark @ gmail . com
justdance
Please send me an invite) it would be great) email in profile)
[dead] ufmace
Sure, just need an email address - can't see one in your profile. The normal email field is only visible to site admins, I think.
spf13
Thanks so much! I would love an invite. email in profile.
CarolineW
No, your email is not in your profile. In fact, your profile is empty. Your email is in the email field, which only the admins can read.
ufmace
Ooh, I didn't realize that either
leeolay
I would love an invite, leeolayvar at gmail ty :)

Done, ty!

epsylon
Would love an invite as well if it's not too late.
cshipley
I would like one as well please.
3am_hackernews
Could you also send me an invite please :)
[dead] ufmace
Sure, just need an email address - can't see one in your profile. The normal email field is only visible to site admins, I think.
jonalmeida
Thanks ufmace!

I realized I made the same mistake as spf13, but you took the time to find my email from one of links in my profile. I really appreciate the effort you took :)

ufmace
Hey everyone, I'm still working on this. Work, life, HN being down, etc, but I'll get to everyone eventually.
raiph
Thanks ufmace; raiph.mellor at gmail.com
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davecardwell
I’d love an invite if you’re still sending them out.

Thanks!

p4checo
I would really appreciate an invite! Thanks

EDIT: p4checo [at] gmail.com

alexnucci
I'll take an invite if you're still dishing them out. Thanks!
devonmather
Do you still have invites? Thanks either way.
nolok
This seems great but I can't register, if someone could send me an invite, that would be awesome !
coloncapitald
I can invite interested people to lobste.rs. Need your email for it.

"Invitations are unlimited, but persons you invite will be associated with your account in the user tree and you may be responsible for them if they cause problems. Please use your discretion when inviting persons you don't personally know."

arh68
You don't personally know me (yet), but I'd much appreciate an invite! I'm not a spammer. Use your discretion. :)
zhemao
I am also willing to send out some invites. PM me if you are interested.
unionjack22
I would so very much appreciate an invite. Thanks regardless!
arvindravi
I'd also appreciate an invite. Thanks!
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zhemao
Just realized that HN doesn't do PMs. If you want an invite, shoot me an email. You can find it on my Github account (linked from my HN profile).
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tohash
news.layervault.com, producthunt.co
shill
Reddit subreddits are great.

http://reddit.com/r/programming

http://reddit.com/r/linux

http://reddit.com/r/python

http://reddit.com/r/django

etc...

est
Still remember proggit was shit and people created r/coding.

Moderation changed that.

sixthloginorso
There's barely any blogspam anymore on proggit, and if some manages to get through, it gets the customary tar-and-feathers treatment which even good submissions receive, only with more abundant, and hotter tar.
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Mandatum
http://lesswrong.org "Less Wrong is an online community for people who want to apply the discovery of biases like the conjunction fallacy, the affect heuristic, and scope insensitivity.."
tedks
Less Wrong is an online community for people who like misogyny, discussion thereof, and oneupmanship via the wide array of in-references.

And according to their own surveys, they aren't very successful at debiasing, either.

krapp
http://pastebin.com/8Bcaaw2M
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sp332
sites which appear to be using the actual HN code:

(http://coinspotting.com/) [Coinspotting | Hacker News for cryptocurrencies]

(http://www.datatau.com/) [DataTau | Hacker News for data scientists]

(http://firespotting.com/newest) [Firespotting |Hacker news for ideas]

(http://www.medtechnologynews.com/) [Med Technology News | Hacker News for medical technology]

other layouts:

(http://inbound.org/) [Inbound | Hacker News for marketing]

(http://pullup.io) [Pullup.io | Hacker News for people who can contribute to a Node.js codebase]

(http://www.producthunt.co) [Product Hunt | Hacker News for products]

(http://news.makerland.org/) [Maker News | Hacker News for DIY/Making]

(http://lamernews.com/) [Lamer News | Hacker News with... lameness I guess]

(http://www.woodspotting.com/) [Woodspotting | Hacker News for wood]

krapp
Oh, thanks. When I posted it all it got auto-killed.
sp332
Yeah, I had to try a few times and I still don't know why it finally worked. I even tried to find out which site got it killed but I have no idea.
turnersr
http://www.reddit.com/r/REMath/

http://www.reddit.com/r/ReverseEngineering/

http://www.reddit.com/r/lowlevel/

http://www.reddit.com/r/vrd/

http://www.reddit.com/r/systems/

http://www.reddit.com/r/math/

http://www.reddit.com/r/types/

http://www.reddit.com/r/dependent_types/

http://www.reddit.com/r/Coq/

http://www.reddit.com/r/haskell/

http://www.reddit.com/r/ocaml/

http://www.reddit.com/r/crypto/

http://www.reddit.com/r/fsharp/

http://www.reddit.com/r/scala/

http://www.reddit.com/r/lisp/

http://www.reddit.com/r/ProgrammingLanguages/

http://www.reddit.com/r/dataisbeautiful/

http://www.reddit.com/r/PhilosophyofMath/

http://www.reddit.com/r/AcademicPhilosophy/

http://www.reddit.com/r/PhilosophyofScience/

http://www.reddit.com/r/MachineLearning/

http://www.reddit.com/r/IPython/

http://www.reddit.com/r/statistics/

http://www.reddit.com/r/Design/

http://www.reddit.com/r/museum/

Widdershin
I made a multi-reddit out of most of these and some more mentioned in this thread in case anyone wants one.

http://www.reddit.com/user/Widdershiny/m/hackernews

SnowProblem
Perfect, thanks for sharing. Now if only we could subscribe to multi-reddits.
NoodleIncident
The "create a copy" function is probably as good as it gets.

I think it would be awesome if reddit were to blur the lines between subreddits and multireddits. Many defaults have huge lists of dedicated subreddits for stuff banned from the default in the sidebar. If the defaults were multireddits newcomers could incorporate or exclude these specific subreddits into their version of the default multi.

Of course, I'm almost certainly underestimating how impossible it would be to integrate the two like that. Still fun to consider though.

archagon
I've always wondered, do subreddits with fewer posts get boosted on the front page and in multi-reddits, or are they simply drowned out by the bigger subreddits?
Gracana
I'm not sure exactly how it works, but it's definitely weighted somehow. A hot topic on a quiet subreddit is likely to end up on your front page, even if you're subscribed to many noisier communities.
Spittie
Thanks for those, some are great.

This is my list, more "sysadmin"-ey:

http://www.reddit.com/r/BSD/

http://www.reddit.com/r/cableporn/

http://www.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/

http://www.reddit.com/r/devkit/

http://www.reddit.com/r/ECE/

http://www.reddit.com/r/embeddedlinux/

http://www.reddit.com/r/freebsd/

http://www.reddit.com/r/haikuOS/

http://www.reddit.com/r/homelab/

http://www.reddit.com/r/HomeNetworking/

http://www.reddit.com/r/HomeServer/

http://www.reddit.com/r/kernel/

http://www.reddit.com/r/linux/

http://www.reddit.com/r/linuxadmin/

http://www.reddit.com/r/linuxdev/

http://www.reddit.com/r/linux_devices/

http://www.reddit.com/r/NetBSD/

http://www.reddit.com/r/netsec/

http://www.reddit.com/r/netsecstudents/

http://www.reddit.com/r/networking/

http://www.reddit.com/r/openbsd/

http://www.reddit.com/r/opensourcehardware/

http://www.reddit.com/r/openSUSE/

http://www.reddit.com/r/openwrt/

http://www.reddit.com/r/osdev/

http://www.reddit.com/r/RTLSDR/

http://www.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/

http://www.reddit.com/r/systems/

http://www.reddit.com/r/unix/

http://www.reddit.com/r/usefulscripts/

adpfr
A couple of subreddits somehow relevant for machine learning and operations research [with a rough estimate of the number of subscribers]:

http://www.reddit.com/r/sysor/ [2650]

http://www.reddit.com/r/optimization/ [200]

http://www.reddit.com/r/algorithms/ [8960]

http://www.reddit.com/r/machinelearning/ [20000]

http://www.reddit.com/r/BusinessIntelligence/ [2100]

http://www.reddit.com/r/database/ [6700]

http://www.reddit.com/r/datasets/ [6900]

http://www.reddit.com/r/datascience/ [1800]

http://www.reddit.com/r/opendata/ [2800]

http://www.reddit.com/r/analyzit/ [200]

http://www.reddit.com/r/semanticweb/ [2600]

http://www.reddit.com/r/visualization/ [8600]

http://www.reddit.com/r/analytics/ [1600]

Edit: formatting

pyk
Ah, this was a surprise since OR doesn't appear all that often on HN -- and I haven't sub'd to quite a few of these. Thank you!
srik
Subreddits aside, I have taken a liking towards Designer News -

news.layervault.com

adamnemecek
Do you (or anyone else) happen to have an invite you could spare? Being in a different timezone, I always forget to sign up within the time window when it's open. I promise not to shitpost (or you know, not to shitpost too much).
therusstler
If you add your email to your profile I'll send you one
adamnemecek
Someone already responded thanks though.
hrabago
I like DN as well and browse it almost daily. However I'm not a designer. Is being a designer required for an invite?
therusstler
Not as far as I know, If you're interested in the stuff that gets posted thats enough I think. Its obviously attached to layervault the PSD version control tool, and there are benefits to linking your account but that's it. Would you like an invite?
hrabago
Yes please! My email is in my profile page. Thanks!
Mutinix
Would it be possible for you to send me an invite? This is the first time I've come across this site, but it seems interesting. I'm a developer, but I've liked the discussions I've read here so far. Thank you!
WickyNilliams
I'd love an invite if anyone has one. One of my open source projects appeared on there in the past, a lot of people were asking "can it do this?", "how do i do that?" type of questions. It was super frustrating not to be able to respond to people with the answer they wanted because I didn't have an account
catinsocks
You can register at specific times without an invite (like right now) https://news.layervault.com/users/new

Otherwise if you click the sign in link you get: Designer News is a place where the design community meets. Registration is open 12PM to 3PM Eastern or until available accounts are exhausted.

WickyNilliams
Amazing, thanks for the heads up. I now have an account.
wwwwwwwwww
http://dis.4chan.org/prog/

http://boards.4chan.org/g/

try not to enjoy yourself too much

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babby
Ugh, /g/ is pleb-filled unfortunately. The majority of the threads illicit facepalms because the crowd there, while not as bad as Redditors, politically, are quite shallow in their expertise. Simply put, a lot of nerds who don't really know a lot, especially when it comes to what hackernews specializes in. It's likely due to it being the only place on 4chan people feel their desktop/tech support thread fits on.
ionwake
Are there any Newsgroups recommendations?

For instance - comp.misc ?

jordsmi
Reddit is my go to since there is a subreddit for almost any topic.
4lph4_D4wg
And shadow bans , and manipulated voting , and crazy mods , that somehow control 100s of subreddits. Seriously , take a look sometime at the mod accounts and notice how much of reddit is completely controlled by the same people.

The place is really controlled by mods not by the voting , the voting is an illusion and is easily manipulated. Ultimately the mods and admins have final say on what you see no matter what the vote count.

I am not a fan of reddit and hope for something better.

q3k
...so basically it's like HN?
gangster_dave
Quora is great for finding interesting startup and tech tidbits.
krogsgard
The Digg technology tag is actually pretty good.

http://digg.com/tag/technology

yukinon
>Specifically, sites where you can post links and comment on them

Digg does not allow commenting, as the OP desired.

collyw
I used to love Digg around 6 or 7 years back. Then it quickly descended into a childish load of name calling nonsense. Is it back to being normal now...?
stcredzero
Alternatives are irrelevant. Resistance is futile.