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Gmail thinks I'm stupid, so I left

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Re: Gmail thinks I'm stupid, so I left

#41

Post by bossyTeacher »

coldpie wrote: post #20
triMichael wrote: post #10

While I haven't had this issue with Gmail, I recently got a new computer and the first two weeks for full of moments like this. It's shocking to me how much we've let popups go rampant on everything. Perhaps the worst offender is Windows update, as it won't even let you use your own computer without clicking through 10 screens refusing all sorts of products they are trying to push on you.

I know everyone's tired of hearing this, but this doesn't happen on Linux. I know I know, it's different and a little janky here and there and maybe you have to find a replacement for one or two pieces of software. But like, you don't actually have to put up with this. There is a better way.

It's hilarious seeing people complain about Microsoft when a free alternative exists. Humans are really curious creatures.

Re: Gmail thinks I'm stupid, so I left

#42

Post by glaslong »

apparent wrote: post #5

What surprises me most about gmail and AI is that they seem really quite bad at filtering out obvious spam. I get so many messages from people I have never heard from, on relatively new domains, with endings like "if this isn't relevant for you right now, say "not now" and I'll not circle back" (a clear attempt to allow unsubscribe without using the word). How is it that they haven't figured out how to stop these mes…

too similar to the ads they'd like to allow through?

Re: Gmail thinks I'm stupid, so I left

#44

Post by happymellon »

Our_Benefactors wrote: post #26
coldpie wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know everyone's tired of hearing this, but this doesn't happen on Linux. I know I know, it's different and a little janky here and there and maybe you have to find a replacement for one or two pieces of software. But like, you don't actually have to put up with this. There is a better way.

[flagged]

As someone who uses more than one monitor, my Mac has far more issues than my Linux boxes.

Re: Gmail thinks I'm stupid, so I left

#45

Post by johnQdeveloper »

joemi wrote: post #32

At work, we use Google Workspaces so that we have gmail and google docs and google sheets, and the "features" noted in this post have all shown up for us. That said, we were able to turn them off and haven't been bothered by them since. I don't remember the process being hard at all. That said, it's still something you need to do to have your settings not be the default settings, but is that necessarily any worse tha…

I don't think you can turn them off as a free gmail user.

Re: Gmail thinks I'm stupid, so I left

#46

Post by platevoltage »

kgwxd wrote: post #19

Seems silly to upend your entire account. Just use a different email client. Email protocol was designed specifically so you could do that, anytime you want.

Most of the reason why I still use Gmail is because IMAP is free. Otherwise I'd be on Protonmail.

Re: Gmail thinks I'm stupid, so I left

#47

Post by rjh29 »

lpolovets wrote: post #28

Related to this, I hate how aggressively Google pushes Gemini and all of the privacy implications involved with that. 1) Lots of features got moved around and there are now many "Write with AI", "Generate image with AI", etc buttons polluting user interfaces even though I don't use them and don't want to use them. 2) Actually, I would use some of these features if I didn't have to do a full opt-in to Smart Features f…

They've always been this way. I think until recently Google Maps would refuse to save your home address unless you enabled location history, so you had to type it in every time.

Re: Gmail thinks I'm stupid, so I left

#48

Post by ceejayoz »

apparent wrote: post #5

What surprises me most about gmail and AI is that they seem really quite bad at filtering out obvious spam. I get so many messages from people I have never heard from, on relatively new domains, with endings like "if this isn't relevant for you right now, say "not now" and I'll not circle back" (a clear attempt to allow unsubscribe without using the word). How is it that they haven't figured out how to stop these mes…

> on relatively new domains

I'm seeing a lot of domains that are clearly registered to spam without a reputational hit to the root domain; for example, wh***teams.work spamming me on behalf of wh***teams.com.

I wish Google'd link them together.

Re: Gmail thinks I'm stupid, so I left

#50

Post by tim-tday »

The key point here is not that they think you’re stupid but that they refuse to let you say no.

One of the Google founders (Sergei I think) read the book “nudge” and fell in love with it. What Google product managers fail to realize is that a hard nudge is called a shove. And removing the ability to say no is theft of consent. They continue to do it because it works and there’s nobody left there with enough courage to stop them.

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