Funny, I suspect it's just the opposite. Long-standing regular contributors are unlikely to be put off by the error messages, especially if they're technically knowledgeable and understand why the error is occurring.
On the other hand, new users who might not be accustomed to The Way We Do Things Around Here would be more likely to get upset at the superficial inconveniences and leave.
It's probably even the case that improving the site or adding features to it would work against its best interests by making it more accessible. HN's implementation is such that the more traffic it sees, the more frequently those errors will occur -- and as an unexpected side-effect, the popularity and instability of the site will work against each other until equilibrium is reached.
A small barrier to entry like Reddit's spartan design or MeFi's $5 fee can go a long way toward delaying the onset of the entertainment-seeking masses.
I'm a long-time user (created: 1668 days ago), and I hate this error. I understand why it's occurring, but it seems bizarre that such an obvious flaw has gone unfixed for so long. It feels amateurish. (That said, pg has bigger fish to fry, and he's probably right to ignore this. C'est dommage.)
I'll just throw in a "me too" with the other responders and say this error annoys the dickens out of me -- and I'm a long-time user and a medium-long-time initiate in the knowledge of the error's source (I tracked it down in the source in a fit of pique about 6 months ago after getting the error for the Nth time).
Besides the actual annoyance of the error, what's extra rankling is it is an example of privileging a neat trick over user-experience, which is one of my Least Favorite Things Ever that programmers tend to do.
(As an aside, I am extremely skeptical that increasing rates of this error occurring will help keep the original user community of the site -- it seems equally likely that longtime users will just get fed up and wander off.)
While there are plenty of cautionary tales of fora that failed their original purpose due popularity, growth and loss of focus, there are equally many cautionary tales of fora that failed due insular communities, group-think and stagnation.
It's a fine line to walk and it may not be wise to rely on programming bugs to point the way.
On the other hand, new users who might not be accustomed to The Way We Do Things Around Here would be more likely to get upset at the superficial inconveniences and leave.
It's probably even the case that improving the site or adding features to it would work against its best interests by making it more accessible. HN's implementation is such that the more traffic it sees, the more frequently those errors will occur -- and as an unexpected side-effect, the popularity and instability of the site will work against each other until equilibrium is reached.
A small barrier to entry like Reddit's spartan design or MeFi's $5 fee can go a long way toward delaying the onset of the entertainment-seeking masses.