- cooperative overlap: old school interfaces were based more on turn-taking, with the computer providing a 'prompt' when it was ready to accept more input. Nowadays we tend towards an overlapping style of UX, with the computer following the link which is now under the mouse instead of the link on which one thought one had been clicking, before the last relayout.
- dialect adoption, like software adoption, shows strong network effects and path dependence.
I sometimes would also prefer that the guidelines would be enforced with a more tech/science heavy focus but I also appreciate how big of an effort it is to moderate HN.
Nevertheless you can still go back to the old more tech heavy frontpage (AFAIK it uses a previous HN ranking algorithm?):
Top story in the classic version is currently "Love Hurts - So let’s stop infantilizing women and demonizing men". Personally I generally like the mix of intensely technical and intellectually curious articles of the default front page.
https://imgur.com/k1K7D3j
Showing that much restraint and not just letting muscle memory take over to become a lick machine is so impressive.