Why is Hacker News such an oldschool page?

Because oldschool is the future! Just ask AI. It's where the profits come from doing things the same old way that profits came from...

What would be nice about changing it? The site is fast and works across all platforms.

It'd be good if you describe what is really inconvenient for now. For me, what I care is visibility and page speed.

I want a fast page load and no wasted space on the display. I'm not interested in "modern" if I lose any of that.

Sounds like Reddit is right up your alley. They did a “modern” redesign. I much prefer this site.

What I want is markdown format support in Hacker news. But other features really not important :)

Please call it "minimalist".

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No, it would not. You are implying that 'modern' is inherently good.