For the Love of God, Just Switch Back to the Classic Interface

[ewal]

Originally Posted by robn

Read what johanborg wrote here:

http://www.emaildiscussions.com/show...2&postcount=17

The most we can say is that we have no plans to retire Classic, and by that we really mean "no plans" as opposed to "we're thinking about it" or "we're definitely doing this".

<snip>

Rob,

It is very good that you are posting on these forums in the way you are doing as it helps us understand the broader picture.

If you have any influence with the Opera guys please ask them to consider sending an email to all Fastmail users setting out what the recent changes represent, what steps are being done to fix the various bugs and, most importantly, giving some clues as to the future.

This will avoid posts such as follows:

Originally Posted by Medina Desert

Fastmail have staged an own-goal ambush on devoted users - like me. Like others I've lost hours of time over the past days wading through Gmail-style threaded conversations, trying to find the spell checker and having bizarre cursor and keyboard movements when typing in rich text - blind ot the fact there was the option to revert to the familiar.

Thankfully the forum I've now signed up to has managed to give me a steer back to the Classic Interface. Even that was not clearly spelt out on the log in. The comments I read as a forced new Forum sign up speak for themselves.

My Question before becoming a refugee: Will Classic devotees, unwilling to sort through the as yet unsupported interface be able to stay where we are - locked into the tried-and-tested set up? If not, when will we forced to abandon it and join the hastily rolled out "all-new" set up?

For me this is no Opera - rather a cacophany.

Thanks
Ed

[ChinaLamb]

Originally Posted by robn

Read what johanborg wrote here:

http://www.emaildiscussions.com/show...2&postcount=17

The most we can say is that we have no plans to retire Classic, and by that we really mean "no plans" as opposed to "we're thinking about it" or "we're definitely doing this".

Right now Classic is an important part of the FastMail service. It will continue to exist until such time as its no longer contributing to our goals for the service. The same can be said for any part of the FastMail service. It would be foolish for us to commit to anything more than that, because we can't predict how technology and the needs of our customers may change in the future.

RobN, Thanks for this post. When you and other representatives speak, I have no reason to doubt you all.

Unfortunately, in looking at these forums, it seems that a lack of communication to customers regarding this change has resulted in a trust deficit.

One forum member suggested putting together a fastmail newsletter and sent to all accounts to discuss these changes, and a comittment to the Classic interface, stating what you just said.

I think such a statement would go a long way to stopping this frustration train from continuing to derail off the tracks.

I appreciate many of the recent changes, and look forward to some of the bugs and hickups being fixed. I know many programmers are working hard at resolving these things behind the scenes, and are getting the brunt of the frustration being voiced in these forums. Product rollouts are never easy - esp. when there are many changes.

I do, however, suggest serious consideration regarding sending out some official communication to your userbase.

Thanks for all the work.

[Bamb0]

Originally Posted by robn

The most we can say is that we have no plans to retire Classic, and by that we really mean "no plans" as opposed to "we're thinking about it" or "we're definitely doing this"

What you dont understand Rob is You already have retired classic! -- old.fastmail.fm for example IS CLASSIC!! (The original classic interface which is the ONLY INTERFACE that can be called classic as it was first)

[robn]

Originally Posted by Bamb0

What you dont understand Rob is You already have retired classic! -- old.fastmail.fm for example IS CLASSIC!! (The original classic interface which is the ONLY INTERFACE that can be called classic as it was first)

Well that's kind of quibbling over semantics, but I can try to make it crystal clear. old.fastmail.fm is dead and gone (more info in this blog post for those that missed it). We now have three interfaces in production:

• www.fastmail.fm
• classic.fastmail.fm
• m.fastmail.fm

All are fully supported, and we have no plans to remove any of them.

I hope that's clear enough.

[rihojo]

Thanks for the heads up on how to use the old interface. I strongly believe in the philosophy, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!" Although the new interface is pretty clear on most things, two main points annoy me.
1. "reply" and "attach" were clearer.
2. "Your message has been sent" was clear. Now I have to CHECK I've really sent each mail.
I love Opera but I hope these changes are not a result of the takeover.
I am all for improvement but ASK US FIRST, WE"RE YOUR CUSTOMERS. And if you find it hard to resist making changes because you feel you haven't done anything if you don't - RESIST!
rihojo

[labarum]

Originally Posted by robn

Well that's kind of quibbling over semantics, but I can try to make it crystal clear. old.fastmail.fm is dead and gone (more info in this blog post for those that missed it). We now have three interfaces in production:

• www.fastmail.fm
• classic.fastmail.fm
• m.fastmail.fm

All are fully supported, and we have no plans to remove any of them.

I hope that's clear enough.

It is.

I find for the first time in the last week I have a glimmer of sympathy for the Opera/Fastmail management; though I have previously expressed sympathy for those on the desks coping with the rumpus, the like of which has never been seen in the history of Fastmail.

Reading between the lines, and the Blog, it seems it was broke, and it did need fixing.

What happens in the server rooms and among the programmers I care not about. As an end user I just want effortlessly to manage my emails. Perhaps the change was unplanned for you too, forced on you by the immanent collapse of a patched and patched again old system?

If so, team, and you were bounced into the early release of the new, you would have found customers more forgiving if you had told us.

But perhaps that was not the urgent situation.

[watersedge]

Well...I'm not quite as willing to attribute this disaster...and that's what it is...to unplanned, forced changes by some imaginary set of circumstances that just happened to need to be addressed immediately. What...was it the 2012 Daylight Savings this last weekend? Was that the magic event that required the rushed release of an obviously unannounced, untested, "upgrade"?

Please.

This has been a total cluster. It takes the Microsoft method of "upgrades" to an entirely new level. Didn't they test anything? Didn't they ask anyone if the changes the were making were even wanted? This is the most perfect example of how NOT to roll out a product that I've ever seen in my life. And I was in the industry and witnessed the birth of the PC, the IBM XT, MS-DOS, and all...I've seen it all.

Oh, and anybody who doesn't read "All are fully supported, and we have no plans to remove any of them." without the plain and simple addition of "yet" or "at this time" to the end of the sentence is naive, at best. We've just learned that Opera/Fastmail is quite willing to pull the rug out from under us without warning. Somehow this reminds me of the election today. Ignore what they've already done/been doing and trust what they say they're going to do instead. Now, there's a plan!

[labarum]

We are clearly not letting them off the hook yet, then?

I have been a member of this forum ten years and have been dipping in and out as need arose.

It needs to be noted that some very new members - with posts under 10 - are leaping straight in with their dissatisfaction.

And it should be noted that many of them claim significant IT knowledge. Now that is hardly surprising given the character, power and complexity of old Fastmail.

[watersedge]

Originally Posted by labarum

We are clearly not letting them off the hook yet, then?

I have been a member of this forum ten years and have been dipping in and out as need arose.

It needs to be noted that some very new members - with posts under 10 - are leaping straight in with their dissatisfaction.

And it should be noted that many of them claim significant IT knowledge. Now that is hardly surprising given the character, power and complexity of old Fastmail.

EDITED: I see your point labarum. I apologize for misinterpreting your post.

[labarum]

I thought I was agreeing with you Watersedge.

Why the intemperate response?

[David]

watersedge is likely not 'British' enough to get that

[watersedge]

I fixed it. I misinterpreted your post, labarum. Apologies!

[labarum]

Originally Posted by watersedge

I fixed it. I misinterpreted your post, labarum. Apologies!

Accepted. Forums are strange means of communication!

If you read elsewhere that I too have them under notice. My renewal comes up in February.

[ewal]

For many years now I have had a rock solid faith in Fastmai'sl way of doing things. So much so I typically pay for years in advance (my current subscription comes up in 2015). My faith is based on the Fastmail's rock solid back end infrastructure in being able able to cope with quite stressed situations at times.

This was enhanced some years back when Fastmail suffered a multi-day outage which was very painful to Fastmail and its users. The experience then, in my opinion, was handled very well by Fastmail, not only in terms of getting the technical things fixed, but also managing the communication in an active positive way to its users.

The recent situation gives me serious pause for thought. Not that the technical things could not be handled (if I had felt that I would have put in place my backup migration plan) but more on the PR front.

With the noble exception of a few Fastmail representatives (Bron, Rob etc) sadly the PR has been handled really very poorly. I just don't get what the story is. Over the past few days various people, including myself, have in these forums been hinting, suggesting, cajoling Opera/Fastmail management to get the message out there. The message about what the recent changes represent, what is currently being done and what the 'vision' thing is for Opera/Fastmail.

Silence, deafness is all we are getting. I just don't get it. In this vacuum one has to start speculating as to what the future holds. Maybe Opera have purchased Fastmail for the backend infrastucture and nothing more. An infrastucture that Opera can in some way roll into their free business model and gain some advantage on. An an-announced vision thing where paying subscribers are of less relevance. As I say, in the silence one can speculate.

My gut feeling is that Fastmail (Opera) will retain the solid infrastructure and this is why I'm not bailing yet. Also, as I mentioned elsewhere, I think the beta interface (now fully in production) has lots of promise, but clearly still needs to have lots of work done to it before its gets wide user acceptance. It probably should have stayed in beta for a while longer.

But the main gripe I have is the abysmal way the PR has been handled. I still, as I write this, don't get it.

Ed

[ServiceTech]

This might still get worked out. The key is some serious leadership, to get Support requests responded to NOW.

Originally Posted by ServiceTech

Bad companies are destroyed by crisis, Good companies survive them, Great companies are improved by them.
Andy Grove, after the Pentium Processor flaw in December 1994

1. Failure to follow the most fundamental rule of web based email: Make major changes "opt-in" initially so that new adopters can help you get the kinks out.

a. Bad companies do it, poorly support it, and make no apology for their lack of adult leadership.

b. Good companies make a quick apology, work hard to fix problems, and prioritize support requests - especially ensuring that people who have lost the ability to get any access to their email are taken care of very quickly.

c. Great companies don't make such fundamental mistakes.