Personally I discovered this website around 2014. I saw it mentioned in an article about a serial swatter from las Vegas who was said to visit this website frequently. Intrigued by the name, I visited for the first time. Recently I have noticed a huge drop in the quality of comments.
just signed up last week! I have heard plenty about HN previously but my experience has been 3rd-degree connection at best. So far I am loving the quality of content being shared. Regarding the discussions, I don't know that they've changed my mind quite yet (only been a week, though) but each i learn something new and do take some time to critically explore a topic or idea, so in my book what this community offers is laudable.