[python-advocacy] How programming language webpages should be designed

[Aahz]

On Thu, Nov 12, 2009, Michael Foord wrote:
>
> Personally I doubt the news items are important to *new* visitors of the  
> Python.org site - who are the most important visitors. I would have no  
> objection to pushing the news items down in favour of a prominent code  
> example like that.

This has been discussed before, and so far the sentiment among people
actually maintaining the website is to consider existing Python users an
important clientele.

Some reasons why:

* Encouraging them to join the community
* Giving emphasis to the PSF (related to previous point)
* Providing support (many people end up using Python e.g. as part of work)
* Encouraging people to become core developers

Not that I'm claiming that the existing site necessarily is doing the
best job of meeting these goals, but I do think that changing the site in
ways detrimental to these goals will get pushback.

> I have a *strong* preference for the code example being text (styled  
> with CSS) rather than image though.

+1 -- copy/paste for testing/playing is essential
-- 
Aahz (aahz at pythoncraft.com)           <*>         http://www.pythoncraft.com/

[on old computer technologies and programmers]  "Fancy tail fins on a
brand new '59 Cadillac didn't mean throwing out a whole generation of
mechanics who started with model As."  --Andrew Dalke