Sounds like there are only two segments, people who think it's a cool toy to run their emails through and people who have businesses to run and see how it can help them refine their message.
It's not about the person as a person, it's about what they see themselves using it for.
Yes, but the problem is that "Show HN"'s have two contexts: "maybe you want to use this", and, "offer me advice about my new offering". On the latter, HN's aversion to paying money for goods and services harms its utilities to companies offering premium goods and services.
I agree, except for the fact that I think it's more about HN having no use for some premium goods and services and saying "I could think of some cool side-projects to use this in if it cost $10/mo" rather than "I have no use for this, but I think it is reasonably priced for its target market".
All things considered, $99/mo is nothing for a business that wants to make money out of its infrastructure. The way HN approaches DotCloud is "man, I could use this for my side-projects if it weren't so business-oriented". Most people here just aren't its target market.
It's not about the person as a person, it's about what they see themselves using it for.