You could have just made that sentence part of your pitch, instead of attempting this little scam where you pretend that you're a different person. Next time, perhaps use an account with a different last name, or one that made a comment more recently than 2012. Or maybe just sell the community on the merits of your product, instead of trying to scam them at all.
Please don't be an aggressive jerk on HN. The damage it does to community far outweighs any benefit it has, no matter how in the right you are, or feel you are.
It's true that booster comments aren't helpful in the end, but people often post them without the slightest idea that they're doing anything wrong. They don't deserve to be piled on. Also, vsarathy didn't upvote this submission; that's not the mark of a typical manipulator. The benefit of the doubt would have gone a long way here!
Just wanted to interject an apology for the way this community member responded. For what it's worth, I think it's great that you're here in support of your son, and this project is really cool! You raised a good one!
That's not true! Of course it can be frustrating to try to get attention when so many other things are competing for it, and when randomness plays a large role. But it's simply not the case that most things make the front page as a result of vote manipulation, or similar things.
I think part of this is due to the way sometimes ycombo endorsed projects can get special treatment, and sometimes come pre-loaded with canned comments that all show up at once. (There is one on the front page right now that I suspect is up to something like this). Perhaps that can be worked on from the HN-side to make a better appearance that all submissions are treated equally.
We need to make some clear distinctions here! You're partly right and partly wrong, and it's important to understand how.
Launch HNs (and also job ads) for YC startups are special mechanisms that get special front page treatment. This is in the FAQ: https://news.ycombinator.com/newsfaq.html#yc. In that sense, but only in that sense, submissions are not treated equally. We do those things so HN gives something back to YC in exchange for funding it. That's important for a balance of giving and taking, and for HN's long-term future. I believe the bulk of the community understands this and is ok with it.
The important thing to understand is that these are specific, clear exceptions to HN's general practices. Other than that (plus orange usernames for YC alums), there are no such exceptions. In particular, what you describe here is absolutely not ok:
> sometimes come pre-loaded with canned comments that all show up at once.
We tell all HN users, including all YC founders, never to do that. Not only that, but I tell YC founders that it's the fastest way for them to get flagged and flamed by this community, and that there will be little we can do to salvage their thread if it happens. Basically I try my best to terrorize them about this. You'll notice that it's the only bold text in the Launch HN instructions: https://news.ycombinator.com/yli.html. It's also one of the few things that appear both in the FAQ (https://news.ycombinator.com/newsfaq.html: "Can I ask people to comment on my submission?") and in the site guidelines (https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html: "Don't solicit upvotes, comments, or submissions"). The rules are clear and they're the same for everybody*.
> There is one on the front page right now that I suspect is up to something like this
What is the link? Even when non-YC startups or projects do this, I often tell them not to and explain why it's not in their interest.
* That doesn't mean we automatically ban people for breaking them; there's a gradient of punishment. A lot of the time people have no idea that they're breaking rules or local conventions. That's different from hardened manipulators trying to game the site, people buying upvotes or comments from spammers (<-- do not! that will get you banned!), and so on.
Thanks for posting the entire clause. Let me just comment as a Red Hat/OpenShift employee with some insight into the business intent behind the legal language.
As you can see from the complete clause that includes "...for the purpose of providing the Preview Services", the license to your content that you grant to Red Hat is really to allow Red Hat to provide the Service. Also the last sentence i.e. "Except as set forth in this Section, Red Hat obtains no rights in Content under this Agreement." should make it clear that there is no other interest in the users content.
I am really confusing by following term and conditions
Rights in Content:
By displaying, publishing and making available for download and use by others any content, messages, text, files, images, photos, video, sounds, profiles, works of authorship, or any other materials ("Content") you give Red Hat a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any Content which you submit, post or display on or through the web site. You agree that this license includes a right for Red Hat to make such Content available to other companies, organizations or individuals with whom Red Hat has relationships for the provision of services, and to use such Content in connection with the provision of those services. You understand that Red Hat may (a) transmit or distribute your Content over various public networks and in various media; and (b) make such changes to your Content as are necessary to conform and adapt that Content to the technical requirements of connecting networks, devices, services or media. You agree that this license shall permit Red Hat to take these actions. You confirm and warrant to Red Hat that you have all the rights, power and authority necessary to grant the above license.
