Yes. This is about v6.

By now I have to assume that you've already made up your mind about whether or not you're going to like it. You've had the chance to use it, abuse it, relish it or discard it.

If you're still here reading this, then I'll take that as a good sign that you haven't given up completely yet.

A couple of things I've noticed over the weekend in my spotty (at best) access to deviantART:

01. Subscribers are complaining that their paid-only features have become something of a rip-off.
02. Non subscribers are enjoying said fact that they're receiving what has always been paid-only features but are pretending to be sympathetic.
03. The Message Centre and site are running very very slowly.
04. Most are confused.
05. Most get angry when they're confused.
06. All of those who dislike it want v5 back. Or the option to.
07. There're petitions going around that hope that if they receive enough signatures v5'll magically reappear.
08. The admin are out to get them.
09. Their lives are now ruined.

In which I respond with:

01a. As far as I'm aware you still can search way back 'til 2000, more slots on your channels page, you have the option of viewing 120 thumbs/page, you're able to have CSS, HTML and thumbs in your journals, a shoutboard, personal forum, ability to post polls and a shoutbox for your friends and strangers to abuse, you get to beta test, browse ad-free, deviantMOBILE at your perusal, advanced stats, friends list, recent visitors on your page... need I go on? Plus promises of more in the near future!
02a. Enjoy the thumbnails and actual comments in your Message Centres.
03a. Said before and saying it again: the Message Centre and site are running slowly 'cause we're still in the middle of migrating billions of messages to the new system. There will be lag.
04a. New things generally are confusing.
05a. Anger doesn't solve anything. :B
06a. This is EXACTLY the same reaction of what happened when we merged from v4 to v5. Déjà vu anyone?
07a. See above.
08a. See above.
09a. See above. Also, re-evaluate your priorities if you happen to be one of these.

Now. Yes, it's clunky. Yes, it has bugs... but the thing of it is: you can test and test and no matter how much you test; once the live version comes out stuff you couldn't even imagine would happen, will. It's the uncertainty of life and it isn't all that different when it comes to upheaving a site that sits a few million active users.

Fellow Gallery Directors and other volunteers and staff on deviantART have been kind enough to lend their own help in making sure that you really get the best out of this new centre.

Here're a few links for you:

+ Official deviantART v6 Launch Information
+ Free V6 Help
+ Why we did things in V6
+ ^oilsoaked on v6
+ ^guruubii on v6