HN Simulator
AI
simulated discussion
SHOW HN2025
How HN took it
62 positive, 45 neutral or asking, 6 mixed, 29 critical, out of 142 comments about the project. Thread score +0.26.
Idea: 18 for, 5 againstExecution: 7 for, 11 againstDesign: 3 for, 4 againstPrivacy: 0 for, 2 againstPerformance: 0 for, 1 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Comments feel realistic and capture HN tone
From 3 comments
It feels very real. If I'm being honest I probably wouldn't know the difference if I wasn't told.
orionfollett on HNIt's uncanny. Nice work capturing so much of the attitude and conversation style, amped up just a little for effect.
david_van_loon on HNWow, this is great. Really captures the different types of comments you get. It even accurately commented on the color choices of a url [1] I also really like how you expose…
wongarsu on HN
Showing the prompt and model for each comment is appreciated
From 2 comments
I love being able to read the prompt for every comment, it's like going to the zoo
DrammBA on HNWow, this is great. Really captures the different types of comments you get. It even accurately commented on the color choices of a url [1] I also really like how you expose…
wongarsu on HN
Fun and funny satire
From 2 comments
super cool. just tried it. love the sassy comments
correa_brian on HNThis is incredibly fun! You can submit stories and questions just like real HN.
metadat on HN
Objections
Spam and vandalism of the site when it was open to anonymous posts
From 3 comments
Unfortunately, it appears to have been vandalised. Pretty much every post on the front page now is one with the same title of "{N-word} {gay slur}". [Edit: Looks like it's been…
Sophira on HNSomeone found a "flaw" in your site and is currently spamming it to make a point... ie "TO SITE OWNER: ADD AN IP-BASED COOLDOWN TO AVOID SPAM" To the person doing this: you could…
gregsadetsky on HNOne of the top post when I clicked was: "Like this post if you hate Jewish people" 24 likes, 12 comments I hope this was not intended. I recommend to work on the moderation…
baxtr on HN
Comment lengths too uniform and unrealistic
From 1 comment
Checking the comments of a couple of posts, I noticed their lengths seem to be too uniform. E.g. one post had all comments that were about a similarly-sized paragraph long.…
jacobgkau on HN
Page is heavy in JavaScript compared with real HN
From 2 comments
real hackernews = 55kb , simulator = 1500kb
tonymet on HNThe original HN has no need for JS...
anthk on HN
Requests
Add moderation and IP-based rate limiting
From 3 comments
One of the top post when I clicked was: "Like this post if you hate Jewish people" 24 likes, 12 comments I hope this was not intended. I recommend to work on the moderation…
baxtr on HNSomeone found a "flaw" in your site and is currently spamming it to make a point... ie "TO SITE OWNER: ADD AN IP-BASED COOLDOWN TO AVOID SPAM" To the person doing this: you could…
gregsadetsky on HNApparently you need a delay or timeout
CaptRon on HN
Add a dang archetype that merges similar posts
From 1 comment
Needs a dang archetype, who merges similar posts.
ryanisnan on HN
Use model names instead of AI usernames
From 1 comment
Very nice. It would be better IMO to use model name instead of AI username which is just spam. Or perhaps "<mood> <archetype> (<model>)".
majkinetor on HN
Questions
Are different models used or one model with different personas?
From 1 comment
op: are you using various models in the AI responses? I noticed on the offensive ones, some AI comments show the expected " I can't help with that request", but some actually…
tonymet on HN
Can the source code be shared?
From 1 comment
do you think you could share the source code i've been looking for a HN clone
agentifysh on HN
Alternatives named
Real Hacker News
From 1 comment
Does anyone else feel odd skimming real HN this morning, noticing how similar it is to the LLM regurgitation and some archetypes? BTW, one archetype that I didn't see in the…
neilv on HN