Google Groups receives an almighty restyle and rebirth

With nary a muffled fanfare and eclipsed by Google's other massive releases over the past two days, Google Groups has been significantly revamped. In true, modern-day Google style, it now looks almost... pretty. It's only the first step of an overhaul, too -- there's more to come, including improved spam control, moderation and search features.

Google has focused on the discussions aspect of Groups first -- so while finding new groups and creating new topics has a shiny new UI, you will have to return to the old interface to perform administrative tasks. Check the New Groups vs. Old Groups page for more info.

As TechCrunch's Siegler mentions, the new style feels more than a little like Wave. With Wave's retirement, the redistribution of its team members, and Google's re-use of JavaScript libraries (and thus UI elements), it's safe to assume that some of Wave might have ended up in Groups. Still, who cares -- Groups looks so much better now.

Tags: discussion, forums, google, google groups, GoogleGroups, redesign, web