End of classical interface

[Gsptlsnz]

zoho mail has a good interface, not as good as fm but better than gmail.

[BritTim]

Originally Posted by Gsptlsnz

The new interface is awful. It would help if we could change the colors like we can with the old system.

Two things are worth trying. First, check out the alternative themes. You may like minimalist or classic better than the standard theme. Secondly, your browser may support an extension called Stylish. If it does, it is possible to make similar changes, using it, to those we previously made using the custom CSS in the classic interface.

[joe_devore]

Originally Posted by BritTim

Two things are worth trying. First, check out the alternative themes. You may like minimalist or classic better than the standard theme. Secondly, your browser may support an extension called Stylish. If it does, it is possible to make similar changes, using it, to those we previously made using the custom CSS in the classic interface.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/fir.../greasemonkey/

yeah when I found out the Classic UI was being retired and given the link to the Transition Guide I modded the new UI as best I could using what the guide said that includes switching the theme to classic,
https://www.fastmail.com/help/guides...ransition.html

I use a Firefox extension called GreaseMonkey to mod some JavaScript in FM interface, specifically the Notepad UI.. though I don't know if it works in the new UI at all.... it appears not... the script targets "https://*.fastmail.com/html/*" the /html/ which is not used anymore in the new UI it seems.

so I guess I could disable GreaseMonkey after the Classic UI becomes decommissioned... since that is is all I use it for.. unless some one comes up with another script to enhance the new UI...

the GreaseMonkey script I was given does the following...

// ==UserScript==
// @name        FastMail Tweaks
// @namespace   https://www.fastmail.com/tweaks
// @version     1
// @grant       none
// @match https://*.fastmail.com/html/*
// ==/UserScript==


// Notepad screen:  move "Create new note" button to top, followed by "Sort by" 
// -- Updated by Bill n5bb (2011.05.02)
// -- Updated Grease Monkey ready by "robmueller" (2014.05.10)
if ($('notepad'))
{
   ($$('div.sortBy')[0]).inject($$('.collapseContainer')[0],'top');
   ($$('li.listButton')[0]).inject($$('.collapseContainer')[0],'top');
}

since they were originally at the bottom

[Bamb0]

Originally Posted by Gsptlsnz

The new interface is awful. It would help if we could change the colors like we can with the old system.

Yes and not very user friendly either

But do you think they care??

[ellentk]

I'm a long-time classic interface user and find its demise disheartening. Do any of the alternative services offer as many aliases as fastmail? I couldn't find any but thought I'd ask.

[joe_devore]

Originally Posted by ellentk

I'm a long-time classic interface user and find its demise disheartening. Do any of the alternative services offer as many aliases as Fastmail? I couldn't find any but thought I'd ask.

me too I've been using Classic UI for as long as I can remember...
Fastmail is my main so changing to another service is not an option for me..
plus I'm payed up for the next 5 years

I have tweaked the settings in the New UI to make it as much like the classic as I could...

[David]

The new interface, I do suspect (as great as it is) is not that new anymore; I do think, that it will be replaced (very soon) with a newer, more functional interface.

Fastmail have been backtracking, ever since the original interface was replaced, many moons ago now.

ps: why do easy ways of doing things ever have to be phased out...... It is ludicrous when these things happen (supposedly) in the name of progress.

[chickadee]

David, why do you think that FastMail will be revising the standard interface soon? I'm not doubting you, but I'd like to know your reasons for thinking that changes will be coming to the interface.

I do agree with you about the standard interface: It's not nearly as user-friendly as the two Classic interfaces.

[David]

Originally Posted by chickadee

David, why do you think that FastMail will be revising the standard interface soon? I'm not doubting you, but I'd like to know your reasons for thinking that changes will be coming to the interface.

I do agree with you about the standard interface: It's not nearly as user-friendly as the two Classic interfaces.

Call it a hunch, chickadee (or a wild guess) When the new interface was first released I was very disappointed, as were many others. It was difficult (at the time) to believe that Fastmail were releasing an interface that was only ten percent as good as the one it would eventually replace.

It has improved tremendously since.

That said, when the classic interface is totally history, I am thinking that they may (at least) start working on something new..............

[n5bb]

Originally Posted by David

The new interface, I do suspect (as great as it is) is not that new anymore; I do think, that it will be replaced (very soon) with a newer, more functional interface...

Originally Posted by David

Call it a hunch, chickadee (or a wild guess) ... when the classic interface is totally history, I am thinking that they may (at least) start working on something new.

Do you have any source for that idea (which I have never heard from my communications with Fastmail staff or the many blog and other posts from Fastmail)? Do you think that the mobile device (iOS and Android) interface will also be changed?

I will make a big post here in a few minutes describing what I expect (based on Fastmail public posts and the current beta interface), but I don't see any evidence for major changes in the main user interface features (other than the announced four Classic features which will be added and the Files and other old style pages being updated).

Bill

[joe_devore]

Originally Posted by n5bb

but I don't see any evidence for major changes in the main user interface features (other than the announced four Classic features which will be added and the Files and other old style pages being updated).

Bill

ooh what four classic features are u talking about? O_o
where was this announcement made? O_o

how will the files and old style page be updated?

[n5bb]

Fastmail has been very clear for a long time about where they are going with their service. I don't know of any other email service which releases such extensive information about their plans.

• Fastmail released beta versions of their new interface staring about a year before they switched to the current interface in 2012.
• They are a larger company (see the photo) than the tiny organization some people who post here seem to assume, and they own Pobox and Listbox. They have made many changes in the fast few months, but they are not visible on the user interface so users who don't read the blog might not realize what is changing.
• Fastmail has been driving the latest improvements to the Cyrus IMAP project.
• At the end of 2016, this blog post discusses the changes they anticipate soon:
  • They are growing too large for their current office space, and are hiring more people as you can see.
  • Upgrading the remaining displays (based on classic) to the current user interface style with JPAP API's. As you can see from my comments below, it appears that the Files area has already been rewritten.
  • A new product based on expertise from their subsidiaries Pobox and Listbox will be released in 2017. It appears to be a combination of the Listbox group email infrastructure and a Fastmail-designed user interface, based on what I read.
• Other posts by Fastmail staff (at their help system, their blog, and here at EMD) state they are working on:
  • Push improvements, which mainly affect mobile devices. As many (maybe most) people primarily use mobile devices for email access, I think that improvements to the Fastmail mobile apps will be a priority. Of course, Fastmail added push sync for contacts and calendars on iOS and macOS 5 months ago.
  • See this help item: Some Classic features making a comeback
    
    • Setting mail priority when sending
    • Request read receipt when sending
    • Forward multiple messages as an attachment
    • A "dark" theme
• Beta interface (https://beta.fastmail.com): Nearly all user interface changes in the past 5 years were introduced in beta long before they made it to the production servers. At this time, the only major changes I see in beta are:
  • Major upgrade of the Files screen. The old classic style has been replaced with a new interface with many improved features. You can drag files from your desktop into a Files folder to upload them.
  • I don't see any of the four classic features listed above added yet. Since only 1-2 % of Fastmail paying customers logged into the classic interface at least once in Dec 2016, they can't afford to make this a high priority, but they have been promised before classic is gone.
  • On both the normal and beta logins you will see additional custom sieve features which were not supported until recently. I will start a new thread with more details.
• I hope that all current Classic fans have read the Transition guide for users of Classic. Fastmail has announced that Classic is disappearing in a little less than 4 months. It's to your advantage to get familiar with the newer interface long before the change. If there are critical features in Classic (in addition to the four listed above) which can't be found in the current user interface, you have a chance to get Fastmail to add those features. I'm sure that the chance of your opinion making a difference now is much better than if you wait until the last day (when they will just be focused on turning off the Classic login page).

Bill

[joe_devore]

thx for the info n5bb...


two things I like/need/use about the classic UI:
1 - constant view-able folder numbers (new/total) to the right of each folder...
2 - empty link next to the trash folder
etc
I hope they will bring back those two features I rely on daily before they retire the Classic UI in June this year...
I have already used the transition guide they created at
https://www.fastmail.com/help/guides...ransition.html
to tweak the New UI as much as I could, which has made the New UI a bit more tolerable for me

I also noticed that the website link column is missing in the new/beta UI.. so no more direct links to my files for sharing without having to open the website listing page and go from there...

[DumbGuy]

Originally Posted by joe_devore

two things I like/need/use about the classic UI:
1 - constant view-able folder numbers (new/total) to the right of each folder...
2 - empty link next to the trash folder

Workaround for #1: New Count should always appear. For Total Count: hover over folder name (but that's not really possible on mobile). Workaround: open an individual message and look in the corner, or click Select All checkbox on the folder-message index screen.

Workaround for #2 in 3 clicks: Click Trash folder , Click Select All , Click Delete Permanently.

[ellentk]

I'd like to see Delete Permanently added to the new interface along with the navigation choices about what opens after the deletion.