> The negativity in this thread is extremely distasteful. :/
Is it? Product launch threads on HN tend to be rife with questions along the lines of "how is this better than existing products?" or "how do you justify the cost over other alternatives?" In some threads those questions are stated a little more… plainly than in other threads, yes, but when someone starts a thread about a product with a subscription model (already not a popular prospect on HN) in a space where there are already a dozen decent alternatives for free, of course there's going to be some balking and questioning along those lines.
At any rate, people post product threads on HN because they think HN's technical audience in particular will be interested in their product - and ultimately in paying for it in one way or another. In that sense we're kind of doing them a disservice if we just blindly cheerlead their product and don't provide any feedback as to why it actually might not be hitting the mark with this audience.
Is it? Product launch threads on HN tend to be rife with questions along the lines of "how is this better than existing products?" or "how do you justify the cost over other alternatives?" In some threads those questions are stated a little more… plainly than in other threads, yes, but when someone starts a thread about a product with a subscription model (already not a popular prospect on HN) in a space where there are already a dozen decent alternatives for free, of course there's going to be some balking and questioning along those lines.
At any rate, people post product threads on HN because they think HN's technical audience in particular will be interested in their product - and ultimately in paying for it in one way or another. In that sense we're kind of doing them a disservice if we just blindly cheerlead their product and don't provide any feedback as to why it actually might not be hitting the mark with this audience.