Well said!
AND I was thinking that they wouldn't have done all of this just prior to a FR fund raising....
I bet the donations would've been way down if they did.
IF people weren't complaining and supporting this site with generous TIME and DONATIONS - why did they change it all???
You question almost answers itself, actually. I'll take a few stabs at it: maybe because the site is growing (as rapidly as ever), and because there is always a continual stream of suggestions, ideas, complaints, and server needs? If there were no reason to change it, I doubt the Robinsons would have. Since they did, I'll wager that there was good reason. They certainly couldn't have created the most popular political discussion web-forum in the world without having the good sense to listen to their (either monetary or verbal) contributors, and they are probably interested in keeping its growth curve as steep as possible... just as we all are.