[sdesol]

> (3) Obviously, it'll make GitHub far more accessible to less technical users

I'd have to imagine this is probably the main driving factor. As GitHub tries to make further inroad into Enterprise, I can see them focusing more and more on making things more accessible to non programmers (project managers, secretaries, etc.)

I really won't be surprised if 5 or 6 iterations down the road, you'll have the option to change the repo landing page. For example, instead of showing the files in a repo, you'll just see the README markdown file. And before you know it, they (GitHub) will start marketing GitHub Enterprise as a competitor to Confluence and other wiki/document management system.

[derefr]

The "repo landing page" is already handled, somewhat, by GitHub Pages—the idiomatic repo setup is to have a GitHub Pages site "about" your software, linked from the description field of the repo; to link Release downloads directly from the GitHub Pages site, bypassing the repo; and to link to the repo from the GitHub Pages site under a "view source" or "contribute" Call-to-Action. The repo itself, with its README.md, then serves just to document the implementation—setup, usage, release notes, etc.—rather than to describe, explain, or teach you how to use the software.

Speaking of GitHub Pages, this feature complements it perfectly. Now you can create a GitHub-powered website—including images et al—without touching git, in much the same way you'd use one of those "FTP web interface" panels on a VPS. Except that each upload becomes a commit, rather than just mutating some ephemeral folder somewhere.

[kevin_thibedeau]

The current landing page format has long been an annoying thorn. Only having a one line summary and URL "above the fold" is a terrible UX for people just arriving at a new repo. I wish they'd add a reactive layout for widescreen displays that shows the README and dev info side by side.