Mad as Heck

[kaitou]

Does anyone else use iGoogle? You know, where you can customize the google homepage with just the stuff you're actually interested and give it a cute banner across the top?

If so, has anyone else been shanghaied into their newest trial? If not, you are SO LUCKY. Apparently they've picked random users to be their beta, and given us no way to option out of it.

The gmail on my page no longer opens in a new window, but inside the igoogle page. It disables any embedded links, and doesn't give you the ability to reply or forward. If you click on an e-mail and want to actually respond, you'll have to back out, then go to the inbox link which will actually open gmail in a new window.

It has a new navigation bar on the left, which takes up a lot of space. I can see this possibly being useful for someone who has tons of stuff on their homepage, but I keep my features to what fits on one screens-worth of data. And there's no way to minimize it.

It also logs you onto their google chat automatically, whether you like it or not. I don't particularly want to be logged on to chat when I'm opening a website for work. In fact, I can see where that could get a lot of users in trouble.

There are other random bugs, like the one time it opened infinite browser windows and I had to restart the computer. But those are my main gripes. But the most awful thing is that they didn't give me an option of being a part of this trial, and they won't let me out. The only quick way to leave feedback is through a survey. I had to dig into a google help page to find a discussion on the beta to find out any information on it. And that was only to find out that I'm optionless. And everyone else seems as ticked off about this whole thing as I do.

Don't go Evil Empire on me Google, I only just got everything the way I liked it.

Comments

[tsaiko.livejournal.com]

Huh. When I click on Gmail it automatically opens in a new tab. Then again I'm not clicking on an email (which for me use to open in a new tab for me but without the options of ever replying/forwarding/deleting), but clicking on the "Gmail" at the top of the box.

I agree there are bugs, but then again, everything from Gmail to GoogleDocs has bugs in it. I think everything but the Google Search feature is in perpetual beta with them.

[kaitou1412.livejournal.com]

Before I got drafted for the new beta, gmail would open in a new window (I'm using IE 6 at work, so no tabs). If I clicked on the 'Inbox' link it would open the inbox in a new window. If I clicked on a particular email it would open that email in a new window. If I clicked on 'compose mail' it would open a new window.

But in the new version if I click on a particular e-mail, it opens inside the igoogle page. It lets me read, but removes all links, and won't let me reply forward, or do anything other than read the message. If I click on the main 'gmail' link it just opens the mail preview bigger. I have to back out of it to get to the inbox link to open my inbox in a new window. 'Compose mail' still works the way it's supposed to, which is something at least.

[tsaiko.livejournal.com]

Ah. I'm using it on Firefox. That could be some of the difference.

I did fill out their survey complaining about the layout. I agree with you: it's terrible. miome still has the old layout. I wish I could go back to the old layout.