Presentation is certainly nicer but key will be if speed at which new posts appear has improved.
An efficient web based NG access point (mailgate was pretty good) would bring in more engine enthusiasts with computers, rather than computer enthusiasts with engines and I believe this is badly needed for the long term health of this group, as is the long promised 'Engines on the Internet' article in SEM.
I am often asked at club meetings how to 'get onto' the NG but, though I managed to knife and fork my way through it myself, I'm not really sufficiently computer savvy (or good at explaining things) to take them through the process of setting up a Usenet account. I usually end up recommending google groups as the "slow but simple" method, so most people probably get fed up before becoming sufficiently 'hooked' to investigate better ways of access.
How does one get to the beta groups from the main google search page (something that all but AOL addicts can usually find)?