This.
For me, exactly this.
Granted, I do not log in often and post even less, but I have always enjoyed Slashdot. If Dice is interested in advertising revenue, I can't imagine that you have a better educated, technically talented variety of "product" here on Slashdot.
I read the occasional article; but, typically, I am more interested in the moderated comments, both funny and informational. I have yet to find another website that has such a depth of users. For example, comments on an article about astrophysics will likely yield input from several people who are actively involved in astrophysics specifically along with many others with in depth involvement in the subject. On articles containing legal aspects, I will often see many replies from bona fide lawyers. How about an article about advanced technical projects? I've seen comments from people who actually work on the subject of the article.
I definitely do not come to Slashdot for the articles. I come for the depth and variety of properly and communally moderated comments. I usually don't learn or comprehend much from the summary or article itself. A lot of times that stuff is way over my head. BUT, I definitely learn A LOT from the moderated comments.
I don't really care what the article is about. Often, just reading the comments presents many different views on the subject that I had never thought of before. It is a nice way to expose many different views on a subject, particularly when it may be emotionally charged, such as religion or sociology or what have you. I will often finish reading moderated comments on a story and realize, and appreciate, two or more viewpoints on the subject that I had never considered before.
As for the beta? When I tried it, it looked like nearly half of the screen was vertical advertisements with another full width ad banner at the top. The comment sections were relegated to the left portion of my display. By the time comments are nested four or five deep you have posts that read like a newspaper column where there are maybe six words per line. Distracting, intrusive, abusive and obviously an attempt to slam ads down people's throats.
Guess what? You (Slashdot/Dice) are taking one of the most technically diverse, high-earning, available audiences who enjoy coming together to read and comment on articles and you are ruining it by implementing this crapfest of a beta product. This reeks of some heavily worded, technically clueless MBA marketing BS to attempt to raise revenue and leverage the strategic market penetration afforded by a dynamic and upward capable advertising audience providing vast opportunity to shove ads onto people that you think won't leave.
