I suppose the idea in itself, a hierarchical tree of subjects isn't too bad, but the execution isn't very good, first of all because of the strange locations of the root and second level views and second because it's not done in a consistent manner. One link in the second level view brought me out the frames without any warning. It's not very pretty either.
Javadocs are built up in the same way. It doesn't look very pretty there either, but for javadocs case it serves a purpose and it's a lot easier to navigate and use with the frames than without.
I'm sure the designer put in at least 2 sessions a week down at the learning annex to get their web design skills. Let's show some respect for the professionals out there making a living
I was expecting something much worse. For example, almost anything with an *annoying* and unneccessary Flash intro. So, to answer the interrogatory subject, "what."
it isn't that bad, it could have sound, flash, gif, unsized images and javascript popups plus an even worse color scheme and different font sizes and styles. The layout yes is horrible and should be three column but honestly it isn't the worst ive seen. however to answer the original question, yes annoying.