[Kovah]

Why is it necessary to measure quality?

Slashdot is around for like decades, a real internet antiquity, and made it without any likes or view counts. Posts that generate a lot of comments are ranked higher, as one can assume it generates more discourse. What else is really needed for a community? Isn't it about sharing knowledge and discussing it?

A front page, as you mentioned it, can consist of either posts that generate a lot of discourse. Or make it simple and just display the latest posts of the people you follow on it.