I've always wondered whether HN's "off-putting", "serious" interface (it is when you first see it) is an important factor in it not devolving into reddit.
People have been accusing this place of devolving into Reddit so often for so long the mods specifically call it out in the guidelines as a semi-noob delusion and tell people to knock it off, which they never do.
The interface is merely simplistic, it's neither serious nor very off-putting. No more than, say, Craigslist anyway. For that matter, 4chan's interface is far more offputting, and its culture is far worse than Reddit.
Like, do people here really believe HN would instantly descend into chaos and madness if the layout used proper typography, modern HTML or (god forbid) AJAX?
It's more inviting then, so I think it would draw more randoms. Now it's basically home to people who know the value already and choose to join because that's what matters to them.
That's at least why I come here. I hope that's a motivator until the lights go out one day. Without a doubt the most consistently intelligent conversations happen here.
"Randoms" wouldn't hang out on a site called "Hacker News" to begin with, much even know that it exists. A more "inviting" layout wouldn't change that.
Part of what has kept 4chan relatively unreddit (aside from less aggressive moderation) is knowing that you need something like 4chanx to make it usable.
