I don't come here because of the UI, I come here because of the content. If it were my site, the UI would be a little more suited to the current year.
If everyone loved it, there'd be no Hacker News mobile apps.
If everyone loved it, there'd be no Hacker News mobile apps.
The only things I would change is make the Reply link open a text box in-line rather than needing a new tab, and add an icon next to my username/karma in the top right whenever there's a new reply to one of my comments.
Any other "modernization" is probably a step BACKWARDS in UX. I really like the simple design of HN.
If it were your site, suited to the current year, I wouldn't come back here.