[Pydotorg-redesign] Rearranging the python.org sidebar (again!)

[Brett C.]

A.M. Kuchling wrote:

> This round of web site revisions started a few weeks ago when I 
> suggested cleaning up the left-hand links on the very top page of 
> python.org.  Despite all the changes since then, the sidebar has 
> undergone no changes.
> 

Just a quick thanks for all the work, Andrew.

> The problem with the current sidebar is that it's too long and the links 
> are too jumbled.
> My current draft is at http://www.amk.ca/python.org.html, but it still 
> needs work.  Issues:
> 
> * Popular links is too vague a section title.  Can someone suggest a 
> better title, or a rearrangement that makes the choice of title clear?
> 

"Points of Interest"?

> * The "Exits" section is a jumble of stuff.  Why link to PyGame, not 
> NumPy or PIL or Reportlab or any number of worthy packages?  Why link to 
> the particular topic of web hosting?  I'd suggest just dropping the 
> entire "Exits" section, because it's not clear what it's for.
> 

Works for me.  We really shouldn't try to play favorites so I say either 
ditch it or have a separate page that is linked to that lists major 
packages.

As for the explicit linking to PyGame, I bet that has to do with getting 
new programmers by realizing they can use Python to make a game; doing 
fast matrix math just doesn't strike me as something with a lot of pull 
for most new programmers.  =)

> * "Commercial Exits" is also really long, yet it's still incomplete.  As 
> M.-A. Lemburg pointed out a little while ago, his company, eGenix, isn't 
> listed.  We lack a criterion for adding companies to this list.  IMHO 
> this isn't important enough to consume space on the top page; the 
> section should be removed and the companies listed somewhere else (in a 
> marketing section?).
> 

Or have it on its own page that is linked off the currently named 
"Popular Exits" page?  And once again we should try to play favorites so 
we should have a basic requirement to get on there (company promotes its 
use of Python in a visible way?).

Now I have a question about acronyms.  Currently there is a link to IDLE 
and PEPs.  Newbies will have no clue what either are.  IDLE 
unfortunately looks like an acronym.  Perhaps we can change the link to 
"IDLE editor" or something to make it more obvious what IDLE is?  And as 
for PEPs, we should just spell it out and put the acronym in parentheses 
like the PSF is done on.

-Brett