In HN's defense, the original email contains relevant information, and it should get attention. Of course, it has to be understand in context, as things change (specially after such thoughtful email) and not every app has the same constraints as the Yammer.

Not all of HN's discussion is keen on it, but often some of it has good signal.

He's not. And so I laughed when I opened this thread and the highest rated comment was a java vs scala post. Rather than a reply to his thesis.

A Java vs Scala post is far more interesting to me than discussing the "shut up about the tools and just work" thesis.

He's not wrong, but at the same time I don't think anybody who so enjoys pissing contests on Twitter can afford to be too condescending about slapfights on HN. The last thing either place needs is more hipper-than-thou posturing.