There are a lot of good designs here! I also liked Carls design but I am happy with the desicion to go with design #3 since I think it will have broader appeal.
It would be cool if we could make the body of our homepage dynamic. Currently the body is really an about OpenACS text. I think this about text is good. However, I believe that only the first paragraph of this text (followed by a read-more link) should be retained on the homepage. The paragraph would serve first time visitors who need a general orientation of what OpenACS is. The bulk of the page would have up-to-date information that is interesting for returning visitors. Giving plenty of space to new postings and articles etc. also appeals to first time visitors since it shows that the community is active.
Good candidates for very prominent static links are a demo system link, a download link, and a case-studies link.
