ok, so presets for materials is fixed. see http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Release_Notes/Notes246/Image_Browser - it is really all you need. from within the append window you can see a material preview. So that area of presets I would consider done.
am I wrong or there are both an online material repository and a script to browse it as a library? blender-materials is probably what he’s looking for.
There is no On-line self-service kind of service where you can browse within Blender on the internet for material presets and get the one you want, although you could write a script to do that. With the site you link to as well as matilib etc, you find the .blend file you want that may contain MANY material pre-sets, download the .blend file to your blender/lib/materials folder. Then within your blend file you are working on, you append or link to that material in that /lib/ folder file.
Just to confuse the issue, there is a Library script that would search out all the materials in files for you and keep track of them and where they were and like that, all running within Blender like a service desk type of application.
To make it even more confusing, there is a development effort initiated to make a client browser application that runs that interfaces at an api level to sites like the one you link to in order to dynamically get an inventory of what they have, like a storefront type of application.
i just read through the 2.46 release features…this is the best blender version EVER.
so many things i waited for, its like xmas.
btw, an integrated online library would be “fun” tho not necessary.
on the other hand, it would make Blender so much more awesome^^
and in other news from the year 2010:
Blender now can drive your car and can make icecream XD
So is everyone gonna debate if its a good or bad thing or is someone actually gonna you know, organise a project or something.
It’s like the bloody UN in here sometimes lol
do you have a point of order, lord cooper?
The chair recognizes Lord Cooper. Lord, you have the floor.
lol
I have no idea what that’s actually meant to mean, but I guess you’re asking me to?
Basically I’m extremely new to blender, and materials are my weakest point, but okay 
All we really need is people to upload files containing models, partical setting, materials etc that they’d like to share.
I’d be fine with putting them all into one blend file and uploading somewhere, hell I’ll even add anything I have that could be semi useful to someone.
Actually, I’ll go start a thread now to see if anyones interested in actually doing something like this.