CloudNine

No, it is not really that relevant.

If Microsoft is paying recoiledsnake a billion dollars to make that post, does it change any of the facts in it? No? Then why whinge about possible or probably astroturfing instead of just addressing the facts in their post?

Unless you want HN to do a full background check on every poster here, it's hard to identify Google/Apple/Microsoft fans/haters/employees/shareholders. You have the option to remain silent, vote and move on if you're not interested in a post.

Can we comment on the stories and not the commenters themselves? What is this? A witch hunt?

Okay let me explain it. Microsoft wanted to point out that Gmail scans the contents of email while Outlook.com doesn't in the Scroogled campaign.

And now Google is trying legal tactics with a C&D to takedown to prevent Windows Phone users from getting a very popular smartphone app, YouTube, so they're smearing themselves here and helping the scroogled compaign paint them as evil.

Well, I submitted this story to see what the reaction of HN posters is. Well, almost no one here is commenting on topic because they seem to be squirming and are instead going on complete tangents by commenting about commenters and everyone else and then the submission gets flagged off the front page like every story on this Google C&D and you're accusing me of personal attacks? Really? How about some basic ethics, integrity and consistency from the other posters instead of trying to pretend that Google can do wrong and trying to derail and flag the story?

Geez, I was referring to mtgx as a Google fanboy and MS hater, certainly not cooldeal.

Good job, Google fans for flagging this story off the front page, you really have a veto on the HN front page.

What kind of subs exactly? The ones critical of Google?

How about just skipping the story/comments and moving to the next instead of trying to bury real news for everyone by flagging?

From the HN guidelines:

If you think something is spam or offtopic, flag it by going to its page and clicking on the "flag" link. (Not all users will see this; there is a karma threshold.)

You're basically abusing your mod privieleges.

Okay, I was confused because people don't seem to be condemning Google for their evil lockout tactics here and are instead commenting on commenters.

Criticizing Google for being evil does not mean they're supporting Microsoft here or that they're MVPs or PR drones.

No, they got tired of begging Google for a Youtube app for close to three years for Windows Phone, so they went ahead and made one so that Windows Phone users will finally have a good app instead of getting frustrated by Google's deliberate strategy to make Windows Phone less attractive.

And Google wants to pull away that app from WP users by using legal bullying tactics.

And Google employees/shareholders never post anything bad about Microsoft online, like on HN, right? I have a bridge to sell to you.