You get what you want out of it. My favorite use of HN is simply to get informed discussions on the pros and cons and alternatives to specific technologies I'm

You get what you want out of it. My favorite use of HN is simply to get informed discussions on the pros and cons and alternatives to specific technologies I'm kicking the tires on. For example, if I'm looking for a good VPS host that is cheap with great support I'll pick a random one off a Google search and then restrict it to HN discussions. Bingo, a plethora of alternatives from people with some experience with them.