[jeethsuresh]

I took 5 minutes and wrote this as a userscript:

// ==UserScript==

// @name Remove HN Scores

// @version 1

// @grant none

// ==/UserScript==

nodes = document.querySelectorAll(".score"); for (x = 0; x < nodes.length; x++) { nodes[x].remove()}

[localhostdotdev]

css version tested with stylus:

    .score { display: none } /* stories and own comments */
    .pagetop { color: transparent !important; } /* hide karma top right (also hides username and logout) */
    #me, #logout { color: black } /* show username and logout */
    #hnmain > tbody > tr:nth-child(3) > td > form > table > tbody > tr:nth-child(3):not(.athing) { display: none } /* own profile */
    #hnmain > tbody > tr:nth-child(3) > td > table > tbody > tr:nth-child(3):not(.athing) { display: none } /* other user profile */

I don't think it could easily be truly hidden but a css experiment might be interesting.

[jeethsuresh]

Nice! I don't use stylus, but it's definitely good to have options for those who do

[onion2k]

While that's helpful I think the point of the experiment is to see whether or not it changes what other people post, how we interact with HN, what stories make it to the front page etc. Hiding karma for yourself doesn't do that.

It would be interesting but I doubt a week is enough to see a real difference, and I'd be sad if I didn't get more internet points.

[jeethsuresh]

Agreed on the point of the experiment, but I can only influence my own behavior :)

You'll notice that I'm only deleting the score node, and leaving the number of comments, post age, and author intact. Those add considerable value to my HN browsing, and allow me to avoid visiting the comment section or clicking a link that I'll gain marginal (or negative) value from.

In fact, I've always thought of HN (and other link aggregators) as a hub for discussion more than a collection of interesting links - the links themselves are often biased and it's important to learn about multiple sides of the topic lest the bias rubs off on me.

I figured I'd share to lower the bar for those who wanted to see the effects for themselves - anecdotally, it hasn't changed much for me since the points themselves are less important than the way they affect the algorithm. I generally don't post/comment, and rarely vote, so I'm not really concerned about my karma total. Maybe I'm not the target market for this experiment?