Ask HN: Why HN logo not in SVG?

Probably because it's so small that the benefits of making it an SVG would be almost nil. I mean, look at this thing:

https://news.ycombinator.com/y18.gif

It's 0.1KB. It's so small that any SVG version of it would actually be a larger file (seriously, I tested it with an SVG converter script online, and the SVG came back at 0.6KB).

There's no practical reason to convert it, at least not as far as file size is concerned.

Being a hacker is about knowing when something is good enough.

It's about focusing on interesting content rather than pixel perfection.

It's about shipping on Tuesday rather than shipping on Friday.

It's about optimising the things that are important.

I like it, even if it's a big pixel-y on hi def displays, it's a reminder that done is better than perfect

Because 99.9% of users don't care and have or never will pay any attention to it. Just like most other logos, or design aesthetics - they are more perceived than actively thought about by consumers.

Because it's not about optimizing every little thing. It's about getting it good enough. And even when something sounds better in theory, it might not be that way in practice.

Make a business case for it

What would improve for the end user, when it was in SVG?

It could be in .svg for a sharper look on smartphones

Explain the performance benefits