I know, the idea that somebody could link to something useful and then be compensated for the value of their recommendation is so awful. It should be illegal for people to make money for doing things online. It should all be free. If we could get farmers and ranchers in on it, then municipalities and auto makers- heck- lets get the whole government on it- everything will be free and everyone will work for the common good. What could possibly go wrong!
Had you actually read my comment, you'd know I'm not complaining about this recommendation. I'm complaining about Amazon's affiliate structure specifically. If I buy a hammer on Amazon 23 hours after absent-mindedly clicking the GP's link, they get a cut of that. A cut that they don't deserve.
I would prefer HN be one of the few places online where I can trust links because of the products behind them, not because of someone trying to drive affiliate revenue.
I did throw a disclaimer in there that I've used these products in a professional environment for years.
I didn't wake up that day hoping to make affiliate sales off a product. I happened to have the links handy because they are listed on my site in a "tools I use" blog post[0], and honestly getting the links from there was faster than getting the non-affiliate links.
