I think this all depends... I don't know that there is much that can compete with face to face interaction with a targeted "end user." Not sure he got much of that in this case but I think I personally would prefer that "real" interaction with a targeted client in an early stage.
hacker news isn't a reflective sample of the real world? neither is standing on the street corner but it at least might get you out of the tech/startup community.
And gets you outside and off the computer, which most of us should do more often.
I don't think Palo Alto is the best place to do this if that is your goal.
true there are far better places than Palo Alto, but comparitively, if you want to get outside of the tech community, it is still better than here.
HN has a lot of young inexperienced, overconfident people eager to ridicule you and your idea. It's good for technical feedback, but not great for support or business feedback. I thnk the poster did the exact right thing.