Ask HN: Can someone please write a Chrome Extension to kill new Gmail Compose? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Can someone please write a Chrome Extension to kill new Gmail Compose?

25 pointsandrewhillman18 comments

The new gmail compose is killing my communication flow. I am willing to pay for an extension that will end this nightmare.

If you hate the new gmail compose help this HN ASK get noticed.

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Merlin Mann made his own 'compose email' app using automator: http://www.kungfugrippe.com/post/45763194525/compose-gmail-m... .

Basically you launch it, it jumps straight to the blank compose window (nothing else), and closes when you hit send. That's it.

I try use it for the times when I don't want to see my email, but need to email something.

Just click on the arrow in the bottom right corner and then "Default to full screen". Unless you are looking for something different?

http://lifehacker.com/gmail-finally-gets-a-default-full-scre...

Yeah, I'm using full screen, but its not much of an improvement. I just want something along the lines of the old compose.

Can you be more specific as to how you want it to work compared to how it works now? (It would be useful feedback for somebody building a browser extension or to those at Google.)

Well, for starters, I don't like that they have designed the new compose like a larger chat window. I prefer the compose not be a modal or window. I want my formatting above my message, right under the subject line. Perhaps, when compose is click a compose tab activates with full view on page compose form.

...and if they want improve auto save, give me a history diff every time it auto saves just incase I want to revert to previous version. This would be helpful for those times auto save kicks in just after you deleted a sentence or paragraph you're rethinking. Once message is sent, edit history can be removed.

The biggest annoyance I have is that there is no way to do that for Reply. Why should Reply be different from Compose? They're both just sending an email.

The whole thing is poorly thought through. Countless details seem off.

Someone built it - free.

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/old-style-compose/...

Above extension was removed by author but someone else released extension that does the same.

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/fix-gmail-compose-...

I'm thinking of going back to Thunderbird and using that for the client (while keeping the Gmail account as the server). Much saner experience. I agree the new compose is all kinds of wrong.

I had the same problem. Shifted to Thunderbird. Works like a charm. :)

Depressing. Only 14 people agree with me. I still hope someone builds an extension. Fingers crossed. This isn't just about the new compose. As @gruseom said... countless details seem off.

It has become harder to edit the subject when replying or forwarding. It'd be nice if this was easy like it was before the change.

I'd pay for that too, if it worked well.

Share what precisely you find disturbing in the new interface and what would you want it to be instead.

How would you want it to work?

On it.

There is setting to make the compose window bigger. Did you try that?

switch back to old version, old is gold

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