Indeed - at the time no one else had reported problems, and it was a taster/teaser to see if it was just me, or a system-wide problem. I wasn't asking for support, or reporting a problem to HN, just seeing if it was a local SNAFU.

"at the time no one else had reported problems"

How do you know others didn't do the right thing (by emailing info@ycombinator.com) ? AFAICT emails sent to the address aren't publicly available.

You're right, I didn't know that he hadn't already had a flood of hundreds of emails. However, it was about 4 in the morning in California, so I figured even if he had hundreds of emails, I wouldn't find out quickly. More, I figured that most of the other times something goes wrong at least someone posts to HN asking, and no one had done so.

I was hoping to find out if the problem was unique to me, and I suspected it wasn't. I was half hoping to head off the usual flood of posts that something was wrong and let there be just the one place, and I was certainly not expecting this reaction. I am bewildered at the hostility, and going away to try to understand it. I feel a bit like I've been kicked.

"I am bewildered at the hostility, and going away to try to understand it. I feel a bit like I've been kicked."

IF there's any hostility, it's directed at people and acts that are seen as inconsistent: You point to the rule that says "Please don't post on HN to ask or tell us something ... If you want to say something to us, please send it to info@ycombinator.com. " after you made a post telling them that the site is having issues.

"More, I figured that most of the other times something goes wrong at least someone posts to HN asking, and no one had done so."

That's not an excuse for you to do something which, as you pointed out, violates a rule.

"I was half hoping to head off the usual flood of posts that something was wrong and let there be just the one place,"

Incidentally there is one place that did head off the usual flood of posts: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5650171 Are you complaining that it wasn't your post that was the one place?

Look. It was four in the morning in California, so I posted a question here in essence to see if anyone else was also having problems. Doing so isn't against any rule, it's against a guideline. I assessed the situation, and decided that at the time a posting was more appropriate than an email.

Subsequently someone asked if there was a support line, and I answered the question. I don't see that as inconsistent, I think it was the most prudent thing to do.

    Incidentally there is one place that did head off the usual
    flood of posts: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5650171
    Are you complaining that it wasn't your post that was the one
    place?

What? I posted three hours before that. No one noticed, probably because it was 4am in California. A later posting got the attention. So what? I have no idea how you can see that as me complaining - I even posted cross-links so people could go to the one that had got the attention!

This avails us of nothing. You seem to have issues with actions that I see as having been perfectly logical and reasonable. You don't accept my version of what happened, and genuinely can't see why you think they were inconsistent.

Screw it. It's the weekend, there's a holiday Monday, and I'm walking away.

In defence of ColinWright, it was partly due to his quick comment, upvote and crosslink that got this story onto the front page. Otherwise it might have floundered and never reached the front page, which would possibly have meant a whole flood of posts asking the same question, until one gained traction.

Having said that, I too found the logic of pointing out an email address for support, while posting a submission, somewhat contradictory - but certainly nothing to get aggressive about.

I don't think dfc's first reply or niggler's first reply contain any aggression or hostility whatsoever. As you said, pasting the guideline having done the opposite hours earlier was contradictory, so that was pointed out.

I should say it doesn't help that the first part of his explanation was that if he had followed the guideline -- using email instead of posting -- he wouldn't have gotten an answer as quickly as he would like. This immediately implies that exceptions are to be made as soon as the recommended action infringes on personal convenience, which would of course make the guideline meaningless.

To my reading the guidelines didn't apply given what I knew at the time. As far as I knew the problem might have been purely local, in which case I didn't want to hassle YC/PG with what would amount to a support issue. I thought it prudent to try to discover if it was wider than just my situation. So I posted.

If you honestly can't see the difference between posting to tell YC/PG about a problem, or to ask them a question, as opposed to posting to ask if other people are having the same problem, then I'm at a loss.

I can understand that distinction, although I'd argue that pasting the guideline without comment to another user in the context of this particular issue implied that your stance was that this issue was one where the guideline applied. You might argue that his or her question was general but I think it's clear from the context that he or she was asking: "what channel should I use when something _like this_ happens?"

Anyway, not a big deal and no hostility intended - have a good weekend.

"I was half hoping to head off the usual flood of posts that something was wrong" by being the first post in the flood.

What is the difference between reporting a problem and seeing if it was a local SNAFU?

For example, checking downforeveryoneorjustme.com or asking if a co-worker can reach a web site is different from contacting the site's operators to tell them about the trouble you're having.

It's related because it's another example of discovering a local symptom and attempting some investigation before emailing YC/PG.

I attempted an analogous investigation before posting. I tried Private Browsing mode, which worked. I tried different browsers, which didn't. The next step in my investigation before emailing YC/PG was to find out if it was just me on this local network, and the only way I had to investigate that was to ask someone else. The only way I could do that was to post to HN. It seemed the obvious next investigatory stage.

Some people are incapable of introspection. Sadly, including some of the more active people on HN.

I had thought you had asked about the difference between seeing whether a problem was just some odd, isolated thing and informing the people running a system that you were having a problem. If that's not it, I'm unclear as to what you were actually asking.

As we have seen time and time again, internal consistency is for the plebeians

Yes, I did have a justification:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4639994

But it now seems clear that this has a personal component:

    I do have a problem with Colin's crusade
    against duplicates.

    -- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4638986

Should I stop just because you and a few others say so? many others have repeatedly expressed support.

But now that I have a context for your criticisms I know how much weight to give them.

Someone clearly cares deeply about HN karma. Not sure why he cares so much.

It's not karma, it's the functioning (and occasional lack thereof) of the "community." Since I run more than one early-stage groups, I'm continuing to learn all I can about what works, what doesn't, what seems broken, and what can be done to make them better.

Don't assume you understand my motivations.

A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.