Flat forums weren't just for downloading Android ROMs. Forums were meant for linear one-to-one discussion. All the eye bleed can be disabled anyways. I haven't looked at avatars or signatures in decades.

Besides has there been a better solution? People were still using XDA forums last I checked. Which has been several years so I don't know. XDA evolved around dedicated individuals who kept a top post updated with relevant info. So the problem was kind of solved after a while.