GMail lost one of the few things that matters for an email client: be fast and usable.
Ask HN: Anyone from Google here? The new Gmail UI is painful
261–270 of 283 posts
Re: Ask HN: Anyone from Google here? The new Gmail UI is painful
#262I think we have come a full circle. I remember a time when search engines, web based emails and other such things were so painfully slow and cluttered. Then there was this upstart with a funny name and single box to type in your search term. I switched because the air was fresh there. There used to be a lot of noise about why don't they use that hot new eye candy, much like we have the same question asked about HN. E…
I remember discussing with people about how significant some of Google's changes would be to their overall bandwidth and server needs. They used to periodically try tweak the design of their already fairly minimal landing page and shave several kilobytes off it. Back in those days even that small change would have been significant.
These days they just don't seem to care any more.
Re: Ask HN: Anyone from Google here? The new Gmail UI is painful
#263I don't mind the look that much, but it's painfully slow. When an application gains a animated splash screen I know that it's time has come. I'm using a Chromebook, so in a way a Google blessed device and it's annoyingly slow. I'm switching to basic HTML view. If it will disappear I will get off gmail for good.
I have a 2015 MBP with 16GB of RAM and a core i5. The experience using Firefox with the new Gmail UI with this laptop is nothing but sluggish. I have to switch back to the old UI. I am not sure what I would do after Google takes away the old UI. What the hell is going on at Google?
Their culture seems to be based on rotating new product managers in every 2-3 years. It's logical that a new manger will want to make their mark and prove they "did something".
Re: Ask HN: Anyone from Google here? The new Gmail UI is painful
#264Two things: First, I myself miss the Q shortcut in Google Calendar, gone after the redesign. Second, I know for a fact that there are plenty of Google employees here. It is funny to see the radio silence. Somewhere within Google there is an email thread generating the HR compliant reply for this thread.
Overall I think Google did a good job here. I really like Material Design when it's done right (Android 9 was a design win as far as I'm concerned).
I agree about the silence on the Calendar side. At present, Gmail has a thought-out theme function but Calendar has all the themeing stripped out. Gmail and Calendar should be consistent. I hope this is rectified at some point.
Re: Ask HN: Anyone from Google here? The new Gmail UI is painful
#265Get Thunderbird (or any other standalone email app). Extremely traditional UI, and better responsiveness due to no frill JS and no tracking. Bonus, even read your emails offline! Innovation!
Is that better than Mail for Mac? My only need is reliable syncing and fast update, which Mac's mail is ok at, but needs variable amount of time for refresh, and if I need to verify my email, I mostly just open Gmail web.
I have never used a Mac for personal use, so I can't compare.
It does have per-account adjustable syncing periods, and you can click a big ol' button to refresh immediately.
Re: Ask HN: Anyone from Google here? The new Gmail UI is painful
#266This comment and a few in this thread refer to the concept of "pain".
If it is causing you actual (physical / emotional / psychological / spiritual) pain - why continue to inflict that on yourself? You are in charge of whether or not you choose to use Google, nobody else.
However, I doubt that pain is the clearest or most precise way to express what is happening here. My guess is that a better word would be "frustrated" or "angry" - emotional reactions that are potentially uncomfortable (so, OK, a form of pain), depending on one's capacities and experience. Those reactions are completely and totally valid.
I find it so funny how something so relatively trivial and ephemeral is turned into such a personal affront. Nobody is trying to inflict pain on you with their user interface desicions.
Re: Ask HN: Anyone from Google here? The new Gmail UI is painful
#267This reminds me of Flickr and Reddit; where they also got the UI right early on and then ruined it.
Re: Ask HN: Anyone from Google here? The new Gmail UI is painful
#268Earlier quoted context omitted.
> fastmail You are aware they're an Australian company that will be forced to provide Oz government access to your account?
How is that relevant to UI performance or stability?
It's indirectly relevant, because apart from UX issues, especially here on HN, I believe that people should also be aware of security and privacy issues.
I wrote the comment especially in the light of people tripping across parent's recommendation. (There are lots of other threads here on HN indicating how people wish to migrate from gmail to something else, due to other Google/Alphabet Inc issues.)
"Where requests for access are issued legally, we comply." [0]
[0] https://fastmail.blog/2018/09/10/access-and-assistance-bill/
Re: Ask HN: Anyone from Google here? The new Gmail UI is painful
#269Someone here still using Gmail? (besides a dummy account for android or something). Seriously?
Re: Ask HN: Anyone from Google here? The new Gmail UI is painful
#270Earlier quoted context omitted.
I must have a super computer because it is blazing fast for me after an initial 1-2s load time.
It's fast for me too, apart from the one to two second load time for opening an email, inbox, filter, spam boxes etc.
What kind of connection do you have? Because I live in a rural area, have slow internet connection and the only site I’m having difficulties navigating is Gmail.
Also, the new UI is a complete UX disaster.