E16 is a very stable and working desktop, less featured but offers also a very nice (and different) experience
As somebody recently suggested (@triantares? i don't remember) , it should be announcement like something unique and special, why not?!
@Rebel450 showed this article on internet: https://www.linux-community.de/ausgaben/linuxuser/2010/05/elive-2-0-topaz-lu-edition/ with intro:
The Debian-based distribution Elive 2.0 not only convinces with a deadly appearance, but also with an unusually sophisticated user interface.
So yeah, maybe the new alpha (beta) versions should be announced like an unique & new different desktop experience bla bla
@Rebel450 is good with words for that 
Sentences:
I will collect here a few sentences that can be used for the announcement, feel free to add more:
@triantares:
There is definitely something unique in using e16 as the (default?) desktop ... no other distro does that.
@yoda:
the E16 environnement/shortcuts/epager/etc is a very very efficient desktop
In fact, Elive can be very good on many things but is very poor in its own promotion
And would be a big loss to not announce it nicely and having a big impact, before to move to the future newer E desktops
Based on the sentence of @triantares, what about some sentence like this for the website (future download page):
While trolls can only complain about everything. No other distro in our modern times dared to select E16 as a default desktop.
Leave out the trolls part. It gives a negative vibe.
Maybe something like: To even silence our most ardent criticasters. No other modern distro dares to go the route of using e16 as a default desktop
As a beta-testing option it's not that bad, IMHO.
Especially if we give at a lighter theme. 
i assume the best included is hte "winter" one ?
Actually I don't really like any of the included ones 100%. They all, either have a very outdated look&feel or are just straight out weird.
From my point of view any theme used has to be coherent (size, color and font) with the cairo-dock theme it is presented with....especially the desktop-menu.
That's why I started re-theming the GTK+ theme to fall in line with the modified cairo-dock "clear" theme ..... still needs a few changes but maybe I can get that done this [extra long] weekend.
