>The lack of polish with HN is part of the charm really.
I do agree with that. However, there's a big difference between polish and usability.
The lack of polish may be charming, but usability flaws are anything but charming.
I don't think so, personally: the common redirection to pages which don't exist is bothering, and so is the overall slowness of the posting and (especially) edition.
Oh, and the completely fucked up comment formatting (or lack thereof) markup.
I don't think there's anything to debate there. It's just a matter of personal taste. I find the whole minimalist thing to be very "hacker-esque" (if that's the right way to say that).
I don't think something which does not actually work is hacker-esque. Minimalistic and half-baked are not the same thing, and hn is the latter more than the former.
I was commenting on the specifics things you mentioned (sans redirection to pages that don't exist). Slowness, lack of good formatting. That sort of thing.
I'm certainly not saying that half-baked is the same as minimalist, and I'm also not saying I wouldn't make some changes given the chance.
I do agree with that. However, there's a big difference between polish and usability. The lack of polish may be charming, but usability flaws are anything but charming.