I like the new start page too, although I haven't been around long enough to have used the old one much. The new one is well organized and laid out much like the table of contents in a book, which would make it familiar to at least a few of us! I like how the pic has been changed pretty regular too, not that it is a big deal, but it gives the impression that the webmaster is here and maintaining the site.
I'll play around with the font Steve. I've also got to play with the formatting a bit as well, as those links shouldn't be centered like that.