I find it interesting that the original description [1], if followed to the letter, will with a very high probability kill (all?) user contributions over time.
Here's why: It says that you can't post another comment when you have a comment pending. Let's assume that:
a) Most "good" contributors write comments of varying quality (maybe on average 90% good 10% not so good)
b) Most people, when they interrupt their work flow to participate in the HN community, write on average more than one comment (if they comment at all).
So inevitably, the average user will repeatedly bump into the "can't comment, have to wait" wall. Which is inconvenient and constitutes a blunt reminder of the "value asymmetry" between the site and the lowly user.
I'd say it is fairly reasonable to assume that being stopped and having to wait is rather off-putting to most HN users. So it hangs on how many repetitions of the wait cycle the average HN user can stand.
Here's why: It says that you can't post another comment when you have a comment pending. Let's assume that:
a) Most "good" contributors write comments of varying quality (maybe on average 90% good 10% not so good)
b) Most people, when they interrupt their work flow to participate in the HN community, write on average more than one comment (if they comment at all).
So inevitably, the average user will repeatedly bump into the "can't comment, have to wait" wall. Which is inconvenient and constitutes a blunt reminder of the "value asymmetry" between the site and the lowly user.
I'd say it is fairly reasonable to assume that being stopped and having to wait is rather off-putting to most HN users. So it hangs on how many repetitions of the wait cycle the average HN user can stand.
[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7445761