Personally, I find these two below mentioned reasons for HN's appeal toward intense intellectual discussions, unparalleled to any other place on the web -- 1. Bare-bones design -- This acts as a great filter and barrier-to-entry of sorts, wherein only those who _actually_ want to consume (or contribute) content stick around. 2. Text heavy content -- Again, I personally find this super appealing. Text only content keeps the reader's focus on what the author is trying to convey, which more often than not brings out the best in one's writing. Contrast that with many competing 'multimedia-heavy' forums where there's a greater chance of a reader getting distracted by unrelated content (suggested, similar, etc). Bonus: Well implemented nested comments -- Following two HN users have a go at each other (respectfully, that is) in a fine display of one-upmanship is absolutely gratifying with a super-low chance of it going ad hominem. What'd you guys think?