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Preview of New MSN Hotmail
An anonymous reader writes "Here is a Preview of a new MSN Hotmail system, using AJAX. Currently in Beta testing." Most interesting is how the user interface more closely resembles a traditional local application. It's definitely a big step in that direction.
What I'm wondering is why it took them so long. XMLHttpRequest was invented for Exchange's web access back in the 90s, wasn't it? Why wasn't Microsoft first off the block with public AJAX webmail too?
Bogtha Bogtha Bogtha
.. and all Firefox users will get dumped into the old clunky interface.
Nevermind the fact that Google have proven it is trivial to make a useable dynamic interface work in most major browsers.
This next-generation kahuna interface makes extensive use of CSS, something IE totally sucks at. I would be interested to hear what the developers have to say about using CSS and these other technologies in IE and compared to Firefox. Pretty much every major web development house I know of develops on Firefox first, then hacks in the crap needed to make it run on IE. MS's team would obviously do it in reverse. I'd love to hear their comments on browser standards and IE 7's compliance with the standards that make this type of web application possible.
No free POP3 access? Then I don't care. And (not to sound like a billboard) if I'm going to pay X a year for an email address, I'd much rather pay about the same to godaddy for a domain and email account in which I have an entire domain at my disposal.
In undeveloped countries, the consumer controls the market. In capitalist America, the market controls you.
I think that the "messages" column, combined with the folders column (Inbox,...) eats too much width.
:) ) by the use of that "beta" ? :)
Oh, and the cancel button is too close to "attach" drop-down in the compose mode. Especially in the compose mode : now you've written a long message and want to attach some file... oops !
Also I hope (naively ?) that those big banners on the top and left are only in the beta version.
About the name (mail^beta) : Does that mean that MS trademarked the "mail" word ? Are they voluntarily mimicking Google (sorry, "innovating"
I have discovered a truly marvelous proof of killer sig, which this margin is too narrow to contain.
All the screen-shots show a cluttered interface with giant, full-colored banners at the top and right side. Currently, the banners feature links to provide feedback for Hotmail beta. However, they're complete with cheesy stock photos of happy office people, so you get a good idea of how this app will look when MS starts selling this real estate for flash-based ads.
I switched to gmail a few months ago and it's taken me awhile to adjust to their tag and search paradigm. However, once I got over the illusion of control that comes from tediously sorting mail into folders and learned to rely on search for finding old messages, I became amazed by how much time I used to spend on administrative overhead for emailt. I find myself tagging fewer and fewer messages now. I just dump them into the archive, and seldom have more than five messages in my inbox. Finding old stuff with couple of search terms works beautifully, and replies I receive for ongoing conversations cause the entire conversation to re-appear in the inbox. It works very, very well. I read and respond to email faster as a result, also.
My biggest gripes with GMail is their poor contact management, but it's been worth the hassle. Also, they've yet to implement a couple of fundamental capabilities, like adding a 'mark as read' action to filters.
This way of dealing with email was hard to get used to, but turned out to be very liberating.
More disposable spam accounts!
But seriously, the new release of MSN Hotmail is meant to compete with Google's Gmail. It probably won't succeed either. The reason? Branding. Hotmail is already known as a cheap e-mail account with little storage space and restrictive rules of how often you must check your e-mail. With lack of archiving features and searchable features in the current Hotmail, many people have a bad taste.
Microsoft may try to make a new Hotmail, but the corporate branding simple isn't there. My prediction is that they will launch into an expensive advertisment campaign to push Hotmail or even force users to use Hotmail more than they do now by integrating Hotmail with other Microsoft software.
I'm getting more people to use gmail in areas that don't have broadband, specifically because of the lack of images. Works well for them, and they are happy.
Watch for Penguins, they eat Apples and throw rocks at Windows.
why not create a temp Hotmail account and sign up for a beta? I'd like to test the new beta with Firefox (and Adblock on) and post my results. It might work well...or not (primarily depending on which team was working on it).
This sig donated to Pater. Long live
Anyone have any info on IMAP/SSL support? Webmail is nice, but being able to use Thunderbird/Mail.app/Outlook Express (ugh) is what really makes these free/cheap services nice for Grandma.
Scott
"Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid."
Can anyone provide a link to a site that describes how to implement these kind of features with AJAX? Also, an explanation of how Google Maps uses AJAX would be great too.
Any info is greatly appreciated!
What are the chances it is just running OWA with a customized front-end?
That would make an awful lot of sense to just use their existing email server technology to re-launch their online email service.
Too much sense, maybe. Does Exchange scale to the degree HOTMAIL needs? (serious Q., not a troll)
Why, oh why, didn't I take the Blue Pill?
How about just taking it for what it's worth? A well-written application that isn't perfect and neither is Gmail.
Be sure to remember the Programmers Prayer
"Basically, what I'm asking is: Microsoft already did this years ago for Exchange, why did it take so many years (and GMail's launch) for their Hotmail department to follow suit? "
Simple, most users of OWA are corporate users. Those corporations that deploy OWA can expect their users to have a browser that can take advantage of OWA. You can't roll out a service to millions of home users until you know your customer base (or at least a good majority of them) has the tools to use the service. If you had RTFA you'd know that, from MS point of view, their customer base is just now at the point of being able to take advantage of AJAX.
Your mind looks a little cramped. Why don't you stretch it a little?
I already considered and dismissed that, for two reasons.
The fact is, you can use AJAX techniques in a completely backwards-compatible manner, so browsers that can handle it get the new interface, and browsers that can't get the traditional old Hotmail interface. Lots of people with older browsers simply isn't a factor.
Furthermore, it's not like there were a lack of people with browsers that could support AJAX. Internet Explorer 4 supports it! Practically speaking, the vast majority of web surfers have been using a capable browser ever since Netscape 4 lost its crown.
Yeah, I read it, I just didn't take that bit seriously, because it seems like pointless PHB-ese that doesn't correlate with reality.
Bogtha Bogtha Bogtha
I don't understand this push to make web based email clients more like email clients on the desktop, as though that is some lofty goal. The only reason I use gmail is because I tried it out, and loved the fact that it wasn't like my desktop email client. I've never used a mail client I liked, and I was thrilled that Google actually took a step back and attempted to reinvent the wheel. I don't use gmail because it is web based, I use it because I prefer its interface.
That said, I'm not saying everything Google makes is going to always get my vote. What I'd really like to see is some other companies attempt to create some products that actually make computing tasks quicker, and more productive. I don't get any special thrill out of the idea of using the same old thing in a new format (like for instance a tradition email client through the web). If I want a traditional email client, I already have plenty of options.
When Microsoft treats users as novices they get slammed. When Apple treats users as novices they are heaped with praises.
The difference is that Microsoft seems to try and make sure people stay novices forever. Apple helps out novices but tries to help them learn new things as well.
One way this is evident is Microsoft changing more advanced portions of interfaces over time, so that an advanced users of one version of the OS (or Office) may have to learn how to do the same advanced thing again in the next release. Apple has been much better at taking an evolutionary approach to interfaces and thus letting people carry knowledge forward.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
This seems to be an interesting upgrade to an old and rapidly aging Hotmail interface. Though, I hope Microsoft open it's eyes and expand the service to encompass entire browser array. . If mozilla browsers are so good, they would rapidly support the languages in which Kahuna uses and enable mozilla browsers to use the new Hotmail. Dspite the requirements, I welcome a change to the interface to the old and current one.
And some have complained how Microsoft how treats it's computer users. Well, majority of internet users are newbies. All they know how to do is turn on a pc, open up AOL, MSN, or other ISP applications, and chat with email or IMs. It's how spyware and viruses spread so easily. People are just to dumb to understand to keep from being infected or avoid spyware.
It's why companies like Mandriva and Linspire are producing Linux distributions that are user friendly.
It's why Apple Computer redesigned MacOS into the user friendly MacOSX.
It's why Operating Systems in general developed what is called the GUI
Computers will always sport better and better GUIs because majority of it's users don't know how to take full advantage of their pcs. There is still the advanced users and elite classes of computer users who still prefer Command-Line interface but until majority are computer users fall into this category, Microsoft and companies will still develop applications and web interfaces for the 'dumb' computer user.
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I say use Roundcube webmail!
It's an Alpha release, but it's definitely worth having a look at it!