Status?
I completely get you on the tortoise rather than hare analogy - and agree that deliberate pacing of software changes (with generous beta testing phases) is a better way forward than slap-dash. However, the perspective from "out here" is that the projects that are actually getting done are, for want of a better word, frivolous, when there's so many big problems that are already well known. For example, whilst I personally like the concept, the WikiLove tool got the brunt of that kind criticism.
So, allocating long term resources to New Page Triage, IMO, would be a winner not merely because it would address an already-identified trouble spot for newbies, but because it would be politically very helpful for the WMF to be investing time in software that is designed to help the EXISTING community do their jobs better. If all the long-term software development resources go to projects aimed specifically at the newbie experience then the existing community is going to increasingly feel alienated and rejected. That's my read of it at least...
