>Talking about changes to squeak.org, what's about changing the page 
>background color?  While it matches the color of MVC browsers, it is (IMHO 
>of course) simply ugly.  People are dispelled by the "strange character" 
>(to omit the word ugly here) of Squeak's UI early enough.  At least give 
>them a change to read through the information without a headache.

We all agree that a facelift is in order.  Here are my priorities -- don't know how they best dovetail with other contributors:

1.  Get 2.8 to a beta stage -- ie only bug-fixes remain.

2.  While we're in beta, work on the inboard demos -- ie the play-with-me's, and also the general screen layout and surrounding documentation.  I envision this as 5 or six projects organized like a small web site, with each one devoted to some particular strength or application.  Then there is another thumbnail image that takes you over the web to further content.

3.  Then get the 2.8 image out with this inboard content.

4.  Then update the whole home page so that it works together with the release, and addresses the many good suggestions that have been made recently about how things could be improved.

>And honestly, a more structured set of pages instead of one long text might 
>be another good idea. Let's also add some eye candy like some screen shots 
>or graphics created by Squeak.  Allice or FreeCell might be good candidates.

I'm not convinced here.  I agree there is a role for structured detail, but I also think it's nice if someone can just say "print" once in their browser and get a reasonable 4-or-5 page summary, with images.  Of course this doesn't have to BE the home page, but it better be the first link -- "Squeak in a nutshell" or similar.  That said, I'm sure anyone could do a better job than I, given the basic content that needs to be there.

Translation:

    Yes, it would be great if some core group would start on a redesign of the home page.

This could probably best be done on the swiki, where the contributors can all work together, and all the rest of us can critique it as it evolves.  I'm sure most of the useful work could overlap with my four items above, and we could be on a really new plateau with 2.8 final and the new home page.

	- Dan