Lobsters Latest Comments

A bookmarklet that adds a "Latest" tab to Lobste.rs comment threads, showing all comments in a flat chronological view with newest first.

Features:

Install the Bookmarklet

Drag this button to your bookmarks bar:

Lobsters Latest

Installation Instructions

Chrome / Firefox / Desktop Safari

  1. Make sure your bookmarks bar is visible
    • Chrome: Press Cmd+Shift+B (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+B (Windows)
    • Firefox: Press Cmd+B (Mac) or Ctrl+B (Windows)
    • Safari: View → Show Favorites Bar
  2. Drag the red "Lobsters Latest" button above to your bookmarks bar
  3. Navigate to any Lobste.rs comment thread
  4. Click the bookmarklet to activate

Mobile Safari (iPhone/iPad)

  1. Copy the bookmarklet code using the button below:
  1. Create a new bookmark:
    • Go to any webpage and tap the Share button
    • Tap "Add Bookmark"
    • Name it "Lobsters Latest" and save
  2. Edit the bookmark:
    • Open your Bookmarks (tap the book icon)
    • Tap "Edit" at the bottom
    • Find and tap "Lobsters Latest"
    • Delete the URL and paste the copied code
    • Tap "Done"
  3. To use: Navigate to a Lobste.rs thread, tap the bookmarks icon, and select "Lobsters Latest"
Note: This bookmarklet only works on Lobste.rs comment thread pages (URLs like lobste.rs/s/...). It won't do anything on the homepage or other pages.

How It Works

The bookmarklet:

  1. Extracts all comments from the page, including their timestamps and parent-child relationships
  2. Adds two tabs below the comment count header
  3. When "Latest" is selected, displays comments in a flat list sorted by newest first
  4. Adds "reply to @username" links for comments that are replies
  5. Clicking the timestamp link (e.g., "14 hours ago") switches back to Default view and scrolls to that comment in the tree, with a brief yellow highlight
  6. The "Copy Thread" button exports the entire comment tree as numbered plain text (e.g., [1.2.3] author: text) and copies it to the clipboard

Source Code

The readable, unminified source code:

Click to expand source code
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