Always the hot topic, Facebook’s recent changes have received mixed reactions online. Recently made default, the changes seem to be irritating some, while sparking new interest for others.

I’m sure most are aware of the new changes, but let’s just run through some of the more noticeable facelifts; the combination of profile wall and news feed, comment capabilities for statuses, bottom left applications tool bar, new layer/tab organisations on one’s profile or home page as well many elements being moved from left to right, or vice versa.

The complaints around town include a noticeable increase in bugs and sponsored ads, increased bandwidth usage from the live feed and application incompatibility - and apparently it isn’t supported by Microsoft Windows 98 or Internet Explorer 6.

There seems to be an attitude of “if it aint broke don’t fix it” from fans of the old layout. That said, let’s take a retrospective look at what the Facebook (or AboutFace) homepage looked like in 2004 through the magic of the Way Back Machine:    

Personally, I don’t care too much for the new layout, but I know I’ll get used to it. I agree it is a bit confusing, especially since it’s constantly changing. I also haven’t noticed much of an increase in bugs or advertising, no more than usual. 

But some aren’t as understanding toward the new changes, and the number of Facebook groups which are against the changes far outweigh those supporting them – some of these ‘anti’ groups have well over a million members.