Hey Bob,
To be honest, I like what is there already and have no real problem with the page view. Sure, it was a bit challenging to input my 1st entry, but now that I have added a 2nd, 3rd, 4th ... 7th it all seems pretty straightforward. I do subscribe to the Keep It Simple theory and avoid major overhauls.
I would like to use links to other PBs as I think it is a neat way to show linkages between the pork butchers of this area, and provides researchers with a valuable tool to get the "connections". If I cannot, then a textual reference will suffice. Not everyone will make the effort though, either because they are not interested, or some find it more difficult to "code" the link ... all you can do is show them how ... which you have done in the instructions. I think allowing a higher character limit is the easier thing to do, in my opinion.
Anyone wanting a more personal instruction on doing this is free to post a message asking me for help, through the PM system. I hope that others that know how to do it will post their willingness as well.
As for sources, perhaps this field is redundant for listing all source information. Certainly, a 40 character limit prevents the listing of all sources, so I make ample use of the Notes & Comments areas to annotate my sources right beside the information they refer to. As I am interpreting other entries it seems that the source is frequently used to identify the German connection (parish records, Alien Arrival records) that link the person from Germany to England. This is a really good use of the field.
Perhaps just a rename to German-England Linkage Source?

The word for today is
"LINK". Of course I like the word link ... it seems to fit in well with my German Pork Butcher - Rueben Winder - Sausage Linker heritage.

Permission to edit an existing entry is an issue, but I would rather have a more locked down system with some duplicates, over a wide open free-for-all that sees the integrity of the database falter and have it fall into disuse because of this. It is easier to reconcile duplicate entries than to correct multiple inputs from multiple in-putters.
I ramble ... time to post this puppy!
Jim