As a programmer and a non-designer, I don't understand how this will help me. Why are each of the successive design tweaks better than the previous ones? I've seen pages with flat designs and with gradient designs, with images and icons and without, and with various fonts, and they all look fine to me. How are you supposed to tell the difference between good and bad design?
And to take it further, if an average person like me can't even tell the difference, what's the point of it?
I didnt read it as design advice but rather a guide to resources. I personally was aware of all the resources mentioned, but think its a great summary of whats out there. So it's not saying 'use this font' or even, 'use a different font', just 'if you want to change the font, get one from here and read this article about choosing between them.
The article seems to have mainly recieved two contradictory responses from HN. a) I already use Bootstrap, this article is useless, and b) this article is bad because it recommends bootstrap, which you should never use, instead devote the next decade of your life to learning design and build something unique and award winning instead.
And to take it further, if an average person like me can't even tell the difference, what's the point of it?