But, shouldn't less data decrease the time it takes for the HTML to reach a browser - fewer packets?
1. Until the packets are transferred, they have to be buffered on the server. The more packets, the larger the buffer and the longer the server has to spend sending packets to each client. If it is possible to reduce the amount a time a server spends sending packets, wouldn't that free up resources for other actions?
2. What is making HN seem slow?