#2 Far and away. I like web pages with layouts that are actually useful and informative rather than the homogenized, minimalist, "I want everything to look like an ipad" look.
I agree, keep it simple. # 1 is much less indimidating to new viewers. While I have learned to find everything on #2, a cleaner interface should help me find information sooner, at least in theory.
#2 is simply way too fussy, you just can't "see the wood for the trees" and it is far from obvious what you have to do.
At uni, we were taught that a good interface has at most 7 separate areas of interest. I counted over 30 in the existing design. Sometimes less is more.
I agree with that. Big header only useful if conditional on first-time visitor. I think what I liked about #1 (the lower half) is the simplicity. #2 is just so "busy" and probably expecting too much screen resolution even for this day and age.
I like #1, although I'd suggest having the top portion (displaying the element14 summary) shown only for first-time visitors. Stack Overflow (and there Stack Exchange sites) have a nice, subtle mechanism where a top bar appears on first visit saying: Welcome to Q&A for professional and enthusiast programmers — check out the FAQ!.
