Gmail Lite: If You Build It Google, We Will Come | Hacker News Reader

Gmail Lite: If You Build It Google, We Will Come

techcrunch.com

17 pointsSparklin14 comments

> If you want to be formal with someone, send them a letter.

That, right there. That's where I stopped reading. They're advocating basically building an asynchronous (in the sense of people) chat client instead of Gmail because you're supposed to "send people a letter" if you're going to begin a message with "Hello" and end with "Regards".

This article is so stupid that I don't even have the courage to dissect (or read) it further.

I don't know about others, but i guess most of my contacts, customers and yet to become customers appreciate it if i start an email to them with a friendly "Hello" and end with a formal "Regards".

When i call someone on the phone i will also continue to say "Hello" and "Bye" instead of just starting to talk and hang up when i'm done.

Most definitely. I hate it when people send me an email without "Hello" or a signature, unless they're friends. If you're interrupting my flow, the least you can do is say hi. I especially detest people who send me their request in the subject line and leave the email blank. I mean, you want me to do something and can't even take the time to write it properly?

About the phone thing, I'm not sure it happens outside movies, does it? I'm not from the US, but I've never seen it happen in either Greece or the UK, where I've lived. If it happens, I find it extremely rude and even insulting...

I don't know why TechCrunch is going so Glasgow over Google's ass for Gmail. It works perfectly fine for me and no one I know has complained either.

It's the TC who should rather work on TechCrunch Lite.

This wasn't lite enough for you?

Glasgow?

This guy wrote a whole news story because he finds hitting TAB and then ENTER too difficult as compared to simply hitting ENTER, and he would like a team of google engineers to roll out a new product with a new name to solve his problem?

And this is supposed to be in the name of efficiency?

TC needs more shoe-leather reporting. Ex: Interviewing a Google rep for this report would add a lot of value.

Arrington's reports are high quality. However, I tend to avoid reports from other TC writers since they just re-hash news highlights from other outlets.

I really don't see the need for something like this. We have instant messaging, SMS, Twitter, and so on for this functionality. I think it would be better served to make instant messaging more universal and have less boundaries.

I think the author means: "If You Build It, Google, We Will Come". Journalists these days...

I don't think you can call it journalism if they can't spell...

If sending email is too daunting of a task, then stop using Gmail to communicate, and switch to "superior" platforms like Twitter and Facebook Messages.

For me, email is the way to go for online communication. Gmail Labs like inbox preview and mouse gestures, and keyboard shortcuts in Preferences help speed up my mail experience.

Google Wave anyone?

I seriously don't see facebook messaging going anywhere, but maybe I'm not the intended user?

I think this exists as the HTML version of Gmail. If you want Gmail to be lite, quick and dirty - use the HTML version and you'll be cruising in no time.

(To use the HTML version, click the link on the load screen. Or in the footer of your inbox if you've already logged in).

Reply on news.ycombinator.com