Re: [pgsql-advocacy] PostgreSQL.org Design Proposal - Mailing list pgsql-www

On Wed, 27 Oct 2004, Dave Page wrote:

>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: pgsql-www-owner@postgresql.org
> > [mailto:pgsql-www-owner@postgresql.org] On Behalf Of Tom Lane
> > Sent: 27 October 2004 18:48
> > To: Joshua D. Drake
> > Cc: Ned Lilly; Gavin M. Roy; Omar Kilani;
> > pgsql-www@postgresql.org; pgsql-advocacy@postgresql.org;
> > emily@tinysofa.org
> > Subject: Re: [pgsql-advocacy] [pgsql-www] PostgreSQL.org
> > Design Proposal
> >
> > In this case, about all I could see without scrolling right
> > was the content-free logo and picture ... so I wasn't real impressed.
>
> I have to agree. Not only the size itself, but the design loses much of
> the contentfrom the front page that over the last couple of years we
> have found valuable to include.

I think Emily has pointed out that it will run at lower resolutions.

As for the content on the front page -- I find half of it irrelevant.

These are the things missing from the proposal which I think need to be
added:

1) Contact the web master(s) - perhaps a link at the bottom, I don't see
any point in it being as prominent as it is at the moment

2) Donate - maybe just a link at the bottom, if that. I notice that it's
not in Alexey's design

3) Sourcewear - perhaps another one of those box/buttons saying
'merchandise'

4) Report a bug - I think a URL would be sufficient -- maybe at the top in
the whitespace next to the mirror drop down menu? (I should say at this
point that my graphics/web site development skills are embarrassingly
poor, so if this would make things look bad, take this into account when
you flame me)

5) Links to international sites - maybe at the bottom, as single words:
Francais, Polska, etc.

6) What is: probably to be covered by the top LHS box -- perhaps a 'read
more' URL there?

7) FAQ - url at the top like (4)

8) Quick help - as above

9) Case studies - The featured user box is already quite good but a URL,
at the top, to a page of case studies would be good

10) Link to techdocs - at the top, as well as from the documentation and
support pages

I think these things can be integrated into Emily's design. Emily: what do
you think?

I left off some things I'd like to see moved off the front page:

1) Links to other .postgresql.org web sites - specifically advocacy and
gborg: the prior is poorly maintained and I think the useful content (case
studies) will be linked to from the main page; gborg has also be
superseded by pgfoundry. I think popular and important projects (like
JDBC, ODBC, npgsql, etc), irrespective of their being on gborg, pgfoundry
or else where, should be linked to from the downloads page. I'm not sure
of the criteria for something getting on the page, but I know that JDBC
should make it.

2) Survey: I don't see the point of the survey.

3) Gborg statistics and links to active projects: I don't see the point of
the statistics and the links to active projects should be on the downloads
page.

So, I think we could have a really professional design for the
postgresql.org site which greatly simplifies the current layout and still
conveys all the useful information the current and beta home page has. I
think the most important thing is if Omar and Emily can take their design
and integrate it with the great work Alexey and others have already done.

Just some ideas.

Thanks,

Gavin