I'm pleased (and maybe a little surprised) that, our of all the news items in the OP, the one that garned the most interest and discussion thus far was the re-release of old settings!
I'm still fairly neutral about 4E, and am unlikely to switch in the immediate future; the digital component is just
not of the that much interest to me,especially when coupled with the price-point (Do they really expect people to pay for both DDI
and Gleemax, especiually given the debacle that is the Aplha test of the site?)
BUT when '10 rolls up, I will take a serious look at the settings books; I'm a fan of most of the old settings,and I think a "Limited Run" on the settings is a smart move, (I love "Scion" and "Orpheus" from White Wolf) and I"m willing to consider supporting it, depending on the content. (Seems like Dark SUn would be a tough transistion, especially given the role of PReservers/Defilers and Templars!!)
Of course, I personally think that the best solution is to do three core books--and then do a whole heap of novels for each and every setting they release, with authors bouncing between lines as they will. But that may just be wishful thinking and my current career goals talking.
I suport this idea, and I'm more likely to buy novels than sourcebooks at this stage, as long as they're of good quality with authors who are knowledgeable about the settings. And some of the lines (Ravenloft, in particular), IMHO, are begging for a comeback in novel-form... And an Al-Qadim line coujld be awesome!!
Unfortunately, IMHO, the TSR/WotC novel lines have always been largely hit-or-miss; the "Dark Sun" line in particular REALLY ranged in quality, novel-wise.