Why can't you collapse threads on HN?

13 pointstangled_zans1 comment

I'm aware that there's a plugin to do that, but I'm curious as to why the devs made this design choice at all?

It seems like a reasonable feature for a news site. Is there some advantage to not have collapsible threads?

It's a basic site with basic features. The login page is just a blank white page with text boxes.

For further reading:

Found with the search box that is at the bottom of the page. Wouldn't it make more sense for the search box to be at the top of the page?