Bug alert: all of the stories on the front page say "Without comments."

It's not a bug, it's a feature.

Some people like our stories, but find the comments unsuitable for professional/political situations. So the "without comments" link is for when you want to share the story, but don't want people to see the flamewar du jour in the comment section.

Got it. Another variant on "NSFW."

A lot of people like to print stories so they can read them when they are out of internet range. There is a lot less to print if a person chooses the "without comments" mode.