I don't know anything about the particular website he was advertising on, but I could easily see someone in the HN community developing some security software, advertising it via a "Show HN" post, and then being judged for posting it on "Hacker News".
I read the article but it isn't so clear about that. It says the forum contains many non-hacking related subjects. To a total outsider with little understanding of the world of computer security, Hacker News might look and sound like a blackhat site too. There are frequent posts about vulnerabilities, hacking news, and security tools.
as a previous user of the forum in question, I can confirm it's not for the "curious programmer" type of hacker. I realise that the term is ambiguous, but I think that's more due to the "hacker news" type hacker clinging onto an old term after the public understanding of the term has moved onto "hacker = computer criminal". The public at large, and journalists, know what a hacker is - and it's not a VC-driven startup entrepreneur.
Would you argue that phrack magazine is also not for the "curious programmer" - or would you say that the dividing lines are different now than they used to be?
I wonder because I read a lot of stuff in phrack as a "curious programmer"...
