# Gmail is changing. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 14, 2013, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmail-is-changing/666190 "2013-08-14T04:38:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmail-is-changing/666190/21 "2013-08-15T15:43:56Z")
> [@HumanMonkeyGod](#): > > So next question… any good free email services not part of the NSA ring? I have an account at [mail.ru](http://mail.ru). Everything is in Russian, but with icons you can guess how to navigate it just as easily as you can guess how to navigate google… Putin’s people read it instead of Obama’s people, they are less dangerous. It’s a little dodgy getting an account in the first place, just use google.translate to see what they are asking for. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmail-is-changing/666190/22 "2013-08-15T15:54:48Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > I’ve never forgiven UW for terminating development of pine. Ah, for the good old days of text based mail readers, gopher and Usenet. > > Now get off my lawn! > > Stranger [Alpine.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpine_(email_client)) And it’s free software, so you can keep supporting it yourself if you want. Assuming the current couple of active dev teams working their respective forks somehow up and quit. You’re welcome. End of hijack (I think). ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmail-is-changing/666190/23 "2013-08-16T05:12:00Z")
I think everything in old Gmail is there in the new Gmail, you just have to look around for it a bit until you find it. I had some of the “old dog vs new tricks” issue when it was first inflicted on me. I’d recommend you give yourself some time to get used to it. One thing I’ve learned in life is “You’d be surprised what you can get used to.” ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmail-is-changing/666190/24 "2013-08-16T05:31:40Z")
I’ve always run Gmail in “Basic Html view” rather than “Standard” and see no recent changes. (“Basic” seems mandatory with slow Internet, but I’ll bet I prefer it even with a faster connection. It may be hard to do fancy message formatting in Basic, but I don’t anyway.) The switch from Old Google Groups Usenet to New Google Groups Usenet finally became mandatory, it seems; that did destroy my experience. But this hardly matters; as Simon and Garfunkel sang: [QUOTE=Paul Simon’s Dangling Conversation] Yes, we speak of things that matter, With words that must be said, “Can analysis be worthwhile?” And “USENET’s finally dead!” And how the room is softly faded And I only kiss your shadow, I cannot feel your hand, You’re a stranger now unto me Lost in the dangling conversation. And the superficial sighs, In the borders of our lives. [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![Myglaren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@Myglaren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myglaren)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmail-is-changing/666190/25 "2013-08-16T05:56:05Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > How’s this for a total threadshit: Huh? I use gmail every day, and I’m not seeing ANY of the things being discussed in this thread. One of my Gmail accounts changed weeks ago, the other has remained the same as it has been for at least the past year. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmail-is-changing/666190/26 "2013-08-16T13:44:21Z")
I wish Google folks at least felt the need to explain why non-optional Gmail changes are being imposed. I have two older folks who depend on me for PC “coaching” so every such change reliably means multiple phone calls. Each call includes “But why did they change it? I’d got used to the previous version and was doing fine with it.” I’m never able to give an acceptable answer. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmail-is-changing/666190.md?page=1)