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I really wish that HN wasn't even in the running for a "worst case". For a community that seems to be all about UX and innovation, shouldn't it run on at least

by wilg 13y ago

I really wish that HN wasn't even in the running for a "worst case". For a community that seems to be all about UX and innovation, shouldn't it run on at least a marginally user-friendly piece of software with this-century markup? I get that it has a sort of kitschy or retro appeal, but it's just basically a pain to use and looks terrible. I can't tell you how often I click next page to find that I've taken too long and my session or whatever has expired.

tinco 13y ago
No. This site isn't about UX or innovation, it's about tech start ups. It's a constant reminder that something can be successful even if it was written in a LISP dialect and has a bunch of UX misses as long as the core idea is valid and the product usable enough. I've used a bunch of HN skins that were supposedly better designed, but none of them stuck. Apparently it's just plain unnecessary for HN to be better.
- theg2 13y ago
  So because it's written in LISP it gets a free pass in other areas? That seems like a dubious claim.
  - tinco 13y ago
    Indubitably.
  - Flimm 13y ago
    That's not what he said.
  - SkyMarshal 13y ago
    No, despite it being written in an obscure language and sparse UI it has massive traction anyway. There's a lesson in there somewhere.
    - bmelton 13y ago
      > There's a lesson in there somewhere The website that lets technologists hang out with people who might give them large sums of money to see their ideas succeed doesn't have to be good, or pretty. If the website were better, or prettier, that would not add any additional value to the previously mentioned large sums of money. (Oh, and advice, and being able to chat with industry leaders and experts on diverse arrays of topics, etc.)
- elwell 13y ago
  Couldn't agree more. E.g., when Digg got popular and redesigned their site everyone switched to the bare-bones Reddit.
precisioncoder 13y ago
I like HN because it gives me exactly what I want. A list of interesting links, ranked by what people that I truest more than news sites think of them. Oh and offers comment sections for each of them. HN is wonderful link discovery during compile time or if you need a break.
- LordIllidan 13y ago
  I think we all like HN, otherwise we wouldn't be here. That doesn't mean it can't improve.
  - romaniv 13y ago
    If "improve" would involve turning it into AJAX-heavy app with images, CSS effects and some weird-ass scrolling interceptors, that requires me to load 200+ files for seeing the main page, I would rather live without any improvements. I think better terms might be "clean up" or "restructure".
    - LordIllidan 13y ago
      And why do you assume that is what I meant by "improve"?
- Houshalter 13y ago
  A minimalist interface is fine but parts of HN are simply broken or suboptimal.

by wilg 13y ago

tinco 13y ago

No. This site isn't about UX or innovation, it's about tech start ups. It's a constant reminder that something can be successful even if it was written in a LISP dialect and has a bunch of UX misses as long as the core idea is valid and the product usable enough. I've used a bunch of HN skins that were supposedly better designed, but none of them stuck. Apparently it's just plain unnecessary for HN to be better.

theg2 13y ago
So because it's written in LISP it gets a free pass in other areas? That seems like a dubious claim.
- tinco 13y ago
  Indubitably.
- Flimm 13y ago
  That's not what he said.
- SkyMarshal 13y ago
  No, despite it being written in an obscure language and sparse UI it has massive traction anyway. There's a lesson in there somewhere.
  - bmelton 13y ago
    > There's a lesson in there somewhere The website that lets technologists hang out with people who might give them large sums of money to see their ideas succeed doesn't have to be good, or pretty. If the website were better, or prettier, that would not add any additional value to the previously mentioned large sums of money. (Oh, and advice, and being able to chat with industry leaders and experts on diverse arrays of topics, etc.)
elwell 13y ago
Couldn't agree more. E.g., when Digg got popular and redesigned their site everyone switched to the bare-bones Reddit.

precisioncoder 13y ago

I like HN because it gives me exactly what I want. A list of interesting links, ranked by what people that I truest more than news sites think of them. Oh and offers comment sections for each of them. HN is wonderful link discovery during compile time or if you need a break.

LordIllidan 13y ago
I think we all like HN, otherwise we wouldn't be here. That doesn't mean it can't improve.
- romaniv 13y ago
  If "improve" would involve turning it into AJAX-heavy app with images, CSS effects and some weird-ass scrolling interceptors, that requires me to load 200+ files for seeing the main page, I would rather live without any improvements. I think better terms might be "clean up" or "restructure".
  - LordIllidan 13y ago
    And why do you assume that is what I meant by "improve"?
Houshalter 13y ago
A minimalist interface is fine but parts of HN are simply broken or suboptimal.