Hey  you're too kind! (I couldn't imagine you'd take the time to report on your Oxtoby or I wouldn't have ordered. Oh well, it's a used copy -) and I should have one  he's now the pres of Pomona College, 8 mins. away from me. ) and the good news is that my notes were accurate (i.e., he did get rid of that disorder section and shuffled cards (two of my big articles) and he does have one of the best intros to microstates in gen chem texts. He didn't pick up "energy dispersal" but getting 16 new editions of established texts 'on my side' within 4 years ain't bad -) Such authors certainly wouldn't adopt anything but a solid idea that unifies the topic.  Click on: 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Entropy/Archive4#Spontaneous_entropy_increase_always_involves_the_dispersal_of_energy
Neat you mentioned info entropy and conformational entropy! My ms. clearing up these old problems was  accepted in Aug, in print in Feb-March. Click on http://www.entropysite.com/calpoly_talk.html -)