I used a few different browsers and compared the raw responses.
I noticed when I used Firefox (20.0.1 linux), there was an additional redirect to heapanalytics.com.
Using Firefox(20.0.1 linux ), I obtained a valid session. It was simply the login status that was displayed incorrectly.
I deleted the cookie from heapanalytics.com, refreshed my Hacker News page and the correct login state message displayed (user name followed by logout link).
The statement "I switched to Wordpress when I realized that Drupal's Link Field Module (a plugin to add a hyperlink field to an entity) was 1100 lines of code." contains no logical context.
Most Drupal developers are not programmers. For example, a Drupal developer may be graphic's designer.
Drupal allows end users to define ad-hock data types. That's what "Drupal's Link Field Module" is (a part of). Ad-hock data types are an option, not a requirement.
If an end user wants to define an ad-hock data type with a "link", they install and configure "field modules". That's a limitation of being an "end user" (as opposed to being an application programmer).
A application programmer would look at Drupal's source code and see there is succinct API method to create a link.
So the broader issue is, you have folks with little to no programming experience making application programming decisions :) It's just as likely, the poster's project did not require ad-hock data types. Without any type of requirements analysis, the project fails.
Drupal's popularity (at least among CMS's) is due to it's set of logical features. It's not the technical implementation of the features :)
The downfall of most Drupal projects is due to poor resource choices. You hire a graphic's designer to implement an inventory system, you are going to get the same results no matter what CMS, frame work, programming language etc :)
Sorry, didn't mean to pick on anyone. Without an elaboration, you speculate based on you experience :) That's my experience with Drupal development :) Lots of talented folks asked to do the wrong job :)
I noticed when I used Firefox (20.0.1 linux), there was an additional redirect to heapanalytics.com.
Using Firefox(20.0.1 linux ), I obtained a valid session. It was simply the login status that was displayed incorrectly.
I deleted the cookie from heapanalytics.com, refreshed my Hacker News page and the correct login state message displayed (user name followed by logout link).
Hope that helps.