Now if only there were a way to prevent iPhone users from sending reactions to my SMS messages!
Stop Microsoft users sending 'reactions' to email by adding a postfix header
221–230 of 377 posts
Re: Stop Microsoft users sending 'reactions' to email by adding a postfix header
#222Earlier quoted context omitted.
Because this is Microsoft we shall apply Gates' razor and must thus conclude that "never attribute to stupidity that which is adequately explained by malice".
I believe you mean Hanlon's Razor?
They've inverted it ironically to attribute malice to Microsoft. (Not undeservedly.)
Re: Stop Microsoft users sending 'reactions' to email by adding a postfix header
#223Earlier quoted context omitted.
This just reminds me of my theory of Microsoft's checklist-driven development: Some PM writes down some single-sentence description of a feature (e.g. "Share Wi-Fi passwords with contacts") and the developers just read the list and find the single least-effort way of implementing it. Once done, they can tick the item off the list and go home having done their job, although often in the most excruciatingly stupid way…
Because this is Microsoft we shall apply Gates' razor and must thus conclude that "never attribute to stupidity that which is adequately explained by malice".
Please refrain from content-free meming on HN.
Re: Stop Microsoft users sending 'reactions' to email by adding a postfix header
#224Earlier quoted context omitted.
This just reminds me of my theory of Microsoft's checklist-driven development: Some PM writes down some single-sentence description of a feature (e.g. "Share Wi-Fi passwords with contacts") and the developers just read the list and find the single least-effort way of implementing it. Once done, they can tick the item off the list and go home having done their job, although often in the most excruciatingly stupid way…
Because this is Microsoft we shall apply Gates' razor and must thus conclude that "never attribute to stupidity that which is adequately explained by malice".
Can you elaborate why you would see Gates as a malicious actor?
Re: Stop Microsoft users sending 'reactions' to email by adding a postfix header
#225Earlier quoted context omitted.
Except, by turning them off, you are therefore forcing people who want to communicate with you to adapt to your communication preferences because you have, by fiat, decided that you simply don't want to perceive the communication method they prefer. Coming to an agreement with others about how you want to communicate with them as fine, but communication is a two-way street, and so it has to be bilaterally negotiated…
Some people pay per text message received. So, they have to ask each and every one of their iMessage-using friends to please not send these ridiculous reactions, because they are ultimately another text message which will cost money. If that counts as "forcing others to adapt their communication" well then I'm sorry, but their preference is my cost, so I don't think it's out of line to politely ask them not to. Ultim…
> So, they have to ask each and every one of their iMessage-using friends to please not send these ridiculous reactions, because they are ultimately another text message which will cost money. If that counts as "forcing others to adapt their communication
No, it doesn't, because that's engaging in bilateral negotiation of how the communication will go with the others involved in it. Unilaterally disabling the feature, however, is different, and that is what I was criticizing.
Re: Stop Microsoft users sending 'reactions' to email by adding a postfix header
#226Apple added the same thing for iMessage/SMS. It worked as expected if the group message was all Apple users. But if you were the unfortunate person outside the ecosystem, you would get spammed with ‘{person} liked “{message}”’. In some cases, people would react to the reaction leading to some ridiculous chains of text.
This reminds of when Microsoft released a comic strip chat client for IRC. You would have these people popping into IRC channels with all kinds of metadata about their character. It was fine for them, but super annoying for everybody with a normal client. I guess it was designed to be used with MSN servers, but people used them to connect to the "regular" ones as well. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Comic_Ch…
> Microsoft Comic Chat installed a custom font, Comic Sans MS, that users could use in other applications and documents.
We have finally found the root of all evil.
Re: Stop Microsoft users sending 'reactions' to email by adding a postfix header
#227Earlier quoted context omitted.
Some people pay per text message received. So, they have to ask each and every one of their iMessage-using friends to please not send these ridiculous reactions, because they are ultimately another text message which will cost money. If that counts as "forcing others to adapt their communication" well then I'm sorry, but their preference is my cost, so I don't think it's out of line to politely ask them not to. Ultim…
What, pay for receiving messages? I have never seen that, not during roaming or even on IoT plans or completely free plans.
Maybe its different in other countries
Re: Stop Microsoft users sending 'reactions' to email by adding a postfix header
#228This kinda reminds me of a feature Windows (Phone) used to have, where it would share your Wi-Fi password with the device's contacts automatically. To opt-out you had to add _optout to the SSID name. https://www.theregister.com/2015/06/30/windows_10_wi_fi_sens... It looks like this feature was removed eventually, but it's just one of those tasteless things that MS does every once in a while.
> To opt-out you had to add _optout to the SSID name.
Or banish machines running Microsoft software from the network.
Re: Stop Microsoft users sending 'reactions' to email by adding a postfix header
#229In an outlook only company, reactions make a ton of sense. They save tons of "great, thank you " emails. Of course you can still send real thank you emails when you're genuinely thankful!
Reactions might make sense in that context because they probably shouldn't be using email for these kinds of exchanges.
Re: Stop Microsoft users sending 'reactions' to email by adding a postfix header
#230Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's using Word to render html. They tried using a browser engine but then it rendered a copy-pasted Word text differently and users hated that.
Now that they are transitioning the desktop version of Outlook into an Electron-like webview, I suppose showing HTML directly in the webview is out of the question, and they must be using the Javascript version of Word to render HTML...
And everyone on Microsoft ecosystem hates the new Outlook version.
We already have the 365 Web version for that.
Yet another example of Microsoft's failure to hire employees with native Windows development skills, now with the old guard that grew up with Win32 are reaching retirement age.