The best explanation I've heard for HN's lack of some features is that any HN power user is expected to find a solution for these problems. That doesn't necessarily mean making a solution, it may just entail searching for a third party solution, or discovering a bit of specific HN behavior that isn't well documented.
I imagine any user with over 1000 karma probably has at least a few tricks, and could mention off the top of their head a few things that help quite a bit when using the site. At the same time, I think it's best they aren't mentioned too often, as they offer a sort of natural advantage to those that have been around an while and contributed to discussions (it's the nature of many of these helpers that they actually help discussion), and putting those tools into the hands of a novice user may actually be detrimental to the site as a whole.
I imagine any user with over 1000 karma probably has at least a few tricks, and could mention off the top of their head a few things that help quite a bit when using the site. At the same time, I think it's best they aren't mentioned too often, as they offer a sort of natural advantage to those that have been around an while and contributed to discussions (it's the nature of many of these helpers that they actually help discussion), and putting those tools into the hands of a novice user may actually be detrimental to the site as a whole.