Gavin,
> Since it looks like the current mockup isn't too well received, please
> take the time to provide me with a list of your favorite open source
> project related websites, that way we can come up with a composite look
> that meets people's taste.
Actually, I like it, at least conceptually. I agree that the "giant logo"
has to go -- it loads funny on Konqueror, and adds significant K to the page.
But I like the format of the boxes and the news items. One other thing which
would have to change would be the link boxes; I don't think the space
allocated for them would be sufficient, given what we have to cover.
Comparisons
Zope.org : This is probably the best example of a "community CMS" in use.
Certainly more pleasing to the eye than www.openacs.org or www.php.net,
although all share the standard of header bar and two columns of links
flanking a central "information & news" section. While I don't have any
problem with that layout, since we're doing XML-CMS and not a CCMS, why not
be creative?
One thing I do think worth considering is the use of indents and bullets to
set off sections of links (left-hand column). While less visually appealing
than our boxes, it does take up less space and thus less scrolling.
Mozilla.org : a fun site that has shown us how to optimize for newbies and
make the site unnavigable for anyone else. The one interesting thing is the
use of contrasting colors -- the tan and the blue -- which provides visual
interest.
Tigris.org : typical (bad) Collabnet design in general. However, shows an
idea we might want to consider: providing the news as headline links instead
of summaries on the main page. This would free up the "main" area of the
front page for "how-do-I-find-it" information.
Other than that, I just looked up web sites for about 10 other OSS projects,
and they all suck.
--
-Josh Berkus
Aglio Database Solutions
San Francisco
