The problem with points is that they become the way to gauge your reputation. In contrast, in fora like HN or reddit (where points are, well, pointless) the use

The problem with points is that they become the way to gauge your reputation. In contrast, in fora like HN or reddit (where points are, well, pointless) the username is the way to gauge your reputation. So I don't care how many points you have in HN, but people will notice if you comment a lot and have deep knowledge.