Agreed -- thumbnails are next to useless, distracting to look at + "thin out" the result set (by forcing vertical spacing), and presumably slow things down quit

Agreed -- thumbnails are next to useless, distracting to look at + "thin out" the result set (by forcing vertical spacing), and presumably slow things down quite considerably, all around. Please restore to something reflecting the aesthetics of the HN front page -- and the essence of beauty and simplicity it embodies.