HN could use a lot of features that would improve its functionality.
I think one of the reasons it's not quit so actively developed is the philosophy behind the project which has a lot to do with PG. He thinks people care about content, not features.
Another reason is that it's written in arc. It's hard to find lisp hackers, let alone arc hackers: http://arclanguage.org/forum
If I'm any example, I think there are many many emacs users who are not very experienced in and certainly not proficient in LISP-like languages.
I know the basics of lisp syntax but have never coded anything substantial in it. A few helper functions here and there maybe. And I've used emacs for decades.
I think one of the reasons it's not quit so actively developed is the philosophy behind the project which has a lot to do with PG. He thinks people care about content, not features.
Another reason is that it's written in arc. It's hard to find lisp hackers, let alone arc hackers: http://arclanguage.org/forum