LELeftium·Dec 17, 2025
Deeply nested comments become nearly unreadable. For example: https://hnplusplus.vercel.app/item/46288491
- comments are pushed all the way to the right side, in a very narrow column
- also must scroll down several screens of just colored stripes
Loading of nested comments could be sped up by using an unofficial API like https://github.com/cheeaun/node-hnapi
- This API sends all the child items of an item at once
- (However due to aggressive caching, many recent children could be missing)
I would add a max-width to the top nav, too. At 2560x1440, the top nav stretches all the way to the corners, making them hard to reach. (Also looks weird with the max-width of the content.)
Some items have over-sized favicons
- It seems to be the job posts, which all lead to 404s
Perhaps some settings to adjust the font. I find the font too small/light.
Read the rest
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Here are some ideas you may consider taking from my HN frontends (they are both MIT open-source)
- Latest version: https://hn.leftium.com
- Still rendering comments from older version: https://hw.leftium.com
- Based on the HN clients I found most readable: https://hackerwebapp.com (with some ideas from https://hckrnews.com)
Mobile page down: tapping the numbers scrolls that item to the top. I find this more ergonomic than scrolling on mobile.
I reduced items down to two lines to fit more items per screen. I noticed I don't use the poster's id to to decide which items to open so I only show the poster's id on the item page itself.
Items always open comments; the posted URL can be opened from the comments page. (Personally, I always read the comments, and sometimes don't even open the original URL.)
I find highlighting the OP's id useful. I plan to also add toggle highlighting of other specific user ids.
Seeking orange: I highlight items that pass a certain points/comments threshold. First just the icon, then the number, too. Helps more interesting items stand out.
When I re-implement comments, I plan to create a view that focuses on top-level comments and reading a single "thread" at a time.
- So you can choose which conversations to read.
- There will also be a way to expand all the comments for certain users that are more interesting (like the OP).