Under extreme server load, is it acceptable to not show the comments and return just the posting - and inform the user via a stub comment that says they should return in a few minutes?
From a user perspective, I think returning a small number of comments (maybe top 10)? would be way better than none (followed by some “Server is under extreme load try later” message). It at least gives the user a general idea of the vibe while minimizing load.
It’s the sorting that people do on Reddit-style posting, old/new/hot that is kind of the problem, the database has to get into every top-level comment to sort. Touching comments at all is a live wire ;)
From a user perspective, I think returning a small number of comments (maybe top 10)? would be way better than none (followed by some “Server is under extreme load try later” message). It at least gives the user a general idea of the vibe while minimizing load.
It’s the sorting that people do on Reddit-style posting, old/new/hot that is kind of the problem, the database has to get into every top-level comment to sort. Touching comments at all is a live wire ;)