However, given that the whole article pretty much fits on a single screen, that can be mostly excused.
There’s nothing wrong with the post. I basically agree, but I don’t see it as front page HN stuff.
To the decorative text behind the kitty, I would add that it's almost always helpful to include some form of praise and redirect, for example, "The current approach of doing X has worked well, but aspect Y could be improved by doing Z."
Good point about style. Makes sense.
I agree, but there's so much more involved in convincing people than just avoiding offense. In fact the author sounds like they're saying to patronize your audience. That's possibly even more offensive than attacking their labels!