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docs: rewrite homepage to lead with positioning + add /about and /why-etherpad#361

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JohnMcLear merged 1 commit intoether:masterfrom
JohnMcLear:docs/positioning-website
Apr 17, 2026
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docs: rewrite homepage to lead with positioning + add /about and /why-etherpad#361
JohnMcLear merged 1 commit intoether:masterfrom
JohnMcLear:docs/positioning-website

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Summary

Replaces the homepage's generic feature-description copy with positioning copy organised around three differentiators — authorship visibility, sovereign hosting, and structural malleability (including AI as opt-in plugin rather than forced default). Adds two new content pages so the site has somewhere to send visitors who want to read more.

Companion to ether/etherpad-lite#7526, which makes the same positioning shift on the README.

Why

The current site reads as a feature description that any of a dozen real-time editors could share. The positioning shift answers what Etherpad is for before what it does, which is what institutional evaluators (sovereignty-conscious orgs, schools, public sector, civic-tech, journalism) actually need before they self-host. None of this changes the product — only how it's described.

Changes

Homepage (app/page.tsx)

  • MainHeadline — new hero: "Etherpad — the editor for documents that matter" with a value-prop subhead and three CTAs (manifesto, why-etherpad, self-host). Stats bar gets a section title and per-stat captions so the numbers feel anchored.
  • RealTimeCollaboration — rewritten as "Three things that make Etherpad different" with three short sections (authorship / sovereignty / malleability) and Font Awesome icons.
  • WhoUsesEtherpad (new component) — categorical adopter list (Wikimedia, EU public sector, schools, civic-tech, newsrooms, self-hosters) so institutional evaluators have proof points without leaving the page.
  • AIOnYourTerms (new component) — explicit positioning on AI as opt-in plugin rather than forced default, aimed at regulated industries.
  • Contribute — restructured into four clear paths (contribute code/docs, become a maintainer, use + evangelise, how a contribution lands).
  • Footer — deemphasises the BTC address (moved lower, smaller, lower opacity). Pure perception fix for institutional visitors. Bitcoin remains accepted, just doesn't read as a relic.

New routes

  • /about — full manifesto: "An editor for documents that matter." Sections: the problem, the documents that matter (constitution / treaty / scientific paper / journalism / school examples), what Etherpad is, our principles, what we won't do, sixteen years of holding the line, what you can do.
  • /why-etherpad — honest comparison page. Capability matrix vs. Google Docs, MS 365, Notion, CryptPad, HedgeDoc. Followed by "when you should use something else" (CryptPad for E2E, HedgeDoc for markdown, Onlyoffice/Collabora for office suite, Google/Notion for polish, Git for cryptographic provenance) and "when you should use Etherpad".

What this PR does not change

  • No dependency changes.
  • No build configuration changes.
  • No behaviour changes — static export still works (pnpm run build verified locally; all routes generate cleanly).
  • No visual redesign — existing layout, styling, and components reused.
  • Header navigation unchanged for now (could add /about and /why-etherpad to the nav in a follow-up; for v1 they are reachable via hero CTAs).

Test plan

  • Render the homepage locally and confirm hero, three pillars, who-uses, AI-on-your-terms, contribute restructure all render correctly in light and dark mode.
  • Visit /about and /why-etherpad directly and confirm both render with header + footer.
  • Confirm the comparison table on /why-etherpad is readable on mobile (it has horizontal overflow scrolling enabled but worth checking on a real device).
  • Confirm the categorical "Who uses Etherpad" list reads accurately to maintainers familiar with the actual deployment landscape; soften phrasing if needed before merge.
  • Verify the BTC address is still present in the footer (deemphasised, not removed).

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

…-etherpad

Replaces the generic feature-description copy on the homepage with positioning
copy organised around three differentiators: authorship visibility, sovereign
hosting, and structural malleability (including AI as opt-in plugin rather
than forced default). Adds two new content pages.

Homepage changes:

- MainHeadline: replace hero with "the editor for documents that matter"
  + value-prop subhead + three primary CTAs (manifesto, why-etherpad,
  self-host). Stats bar gets a section title and per-stat captions.
- RealTimeCollaboration: replace with "Three things that make Etherpad
  different" — authorship / sovereignty / malleability sections with
  Font Awesome icons and ~80-word explanations each.
- Add WhoUsesEtherpad: categorical adopter list (Wikimedia, EU public
  sector, schools, civic-tech, newsrooms, self-hosters) so institutional
  evaluators have proof points without leaving the page.
- Add AIOnYourTerms: explicit positioning on AI as opt-in plugin rather
  than forced default, aimed at regulated industries.
- Contribute: restructure into four clear paths (code/docs, become
  maintainer, use+evangelise, how a contribution lands).
- Footer: deemphasize the BTC address (move to bottom, smaller, lower
  opacity) — pure perception fix for institutional visitors.

New routes:

- /about — full manifesto adapted from positioning work.
- /why-etherpad — honest comparison page with capability matrix vs.
  Google Docs, MS 365, Notion, CryptPad, HedgeDoc, plus "when you
  should use something else" and "when you should use Etherpad".

No build, dependency, or behaviour changes. Build verified locally
(`pnpm run build` succeeds; all routes generate as static).

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
@JohnMcLear JohnMcLear requested a review from SamTV12345 April 16, 2026 13:58
@JohnMcLear JohnMcLear merged commit f56ec24 into ether:master Apr 17, 2026
JohnMcLear added a commit to JohnMcLear/ether.github.com that referenced this pull request Apr 17, 2026
Four related tweaks to the home page after PRs ether#361 and ether#365 landed.

- InstallOneLiner: swap the Docker one-liner for the native
  curl/irm installer commands from etherpad-lite README (Linux/macOS
  use bin/installer.sh, Windows uses bin/installer.ps1). Update the
  caption from "Needs Docker" to git + Node.js >= 20 with the
  follow-up `cd etherpad-lite && pnpm run prod` step.
- MainHeadline: remove the "Read the manifesto" and "Why Etherpad"
  CTA buttons from the hero. The header already links to /about,
  and the hero was getting crowded once the InstallOneLiner landed.
- MainHeadline: shrink hero h1 from 2.5rem to 2.3rem so the heading
  fits more naturally above the subhead on narrower viewports.
- AddFunctionalities: rename heading "Add Functionalities" to
  "Add Functionality" — "functionality" reads as an uncountable
  collective here, which is more idiomatic.
- Footer: remove the unverified Bitcoin donation line that PR ether#361
  reintroduced when the positioning branch merged on top of ether#362.

No routing or dependency changes. `pnpm run build` succeeds; all
routes still generate statically.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
JohnMcLear added a commit that referenced this pull request Apr 17, 2026
…366)

Four related tweaks to the home page after PRs #361 and #365 landed.

- InstallOneLiner: swap the Docker one-liner for the native
  curl/irm installer commands from etherpad-lite README (Linux/macOS
  use bin/installer.sh, Windows uses bin/installer.ps1). Update the
  caption from "Needs Docker" to git + Node.js >= 20 with the
  follow-up `cd etherpad-lite && pnpm run prod` step.
- MainHeadline: remove the "Read the manifesto" and "Why Etherpad"
  CTA buttons from the hero. The header already links to /about,
  and the hero was getting crowded once the InstallOneLiner landed.
- MainHeadline: shrink hero h1 from 2.5rem to 2.3rem so the heading
  fits more naturally above the subhead on narrower viewports.
- AddFunctionalities: rename heading "Add Functionalities" to
  "Add Functionality" — "functionality" reads as an uncountable
  collective here, which is more idiomatic.
- Footer: remove the unverified Bitcoin donation line that PR #361
  reintroduced when the positioning branch merged on top of #362.

No routing or dependency changes. `pnpm run build` succeeds; all
routes still generate statically.

Co-authored-by: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
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