I was a bit shocked by the new pages myself, but not totally. I did see the beta and looked at it a few times so I knew it was coming.
I think that the initial shock of something drastically new has fired people up a bit, but I beleive that in the long run, it will be better. Hopefully, you and John will tally up the complaints and find that there are really only a few major issues that need to be dealt with.
For the record, I like the new look but I'm used to changes. I don't know where everything is yet, but I'll find what I need. Heck, I didn't even know all the features in the last version; I generally just went to "Latest Posts" and carried on from there.
Keep up the good work and please resolve the major issues so that people can get back to freepin' again. :^)
It's like when Kroger has an addition tacked on, and all the grocery aisles get pulled and rearranged. Everything you need is still there; you just have to be a bit more alert to find it! *G*