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Google To Force Basic HTML Gmail On Older Chrome Versions (computerworld.com)
Earlier this week, Google quietly announced that Gmail will only be partially supported on older versions of Chrome browser soon. From a report: Users of Chrome version 53 and older editions of the browser could start being redirected to the basic HTML version of Gmail as early as December, the company said in a blog post. Starting next week, users who will be affected by the change will start seeing a banner at the top of Gmail telling them to upgrade to an up-to-date version of Google's browser. The affected browser versions include Chrome v49, the last version of the software that supports XP and Vista. While Microsoft officially ended support for XP more than two and a half years ago, Gmail has continued to work with it. Vista Service Pack 2 will reach the end of its extended support period on April 11.
Some other browser, like Opera or FireFox
Or don't use GMail in the first place
Smelly indo-chimps have infiltrated google and now it stinks like a piece of shit.
If the user agent string is configurable in those older Chrome versions, that should solve the problem. If changing the user agent doesn't solve the problem, then perhaps Google has been doing something shady in their browsers all along.
Also, if Google is going to stick users of older Chrome versions with basic HTML, I wonder what they'll get up to with other brands of browser.
I'm so glad I never liked Chrome and never liked Gmail, so I never used them. It's bad enough that their search engine has mostly become a steaming pile of irrelevancy that can't tell the difference between a user trying to drill down through the clouds of shit they throw up, and a bot. I'm getting really sick of being forced to go through endless captchas as a result of Google's 'lowest common denominator' philosophy.
'The Economy' is a giant Ponzi scheme whose most pitiable suckers are the youngest among us and the yet-unborn.
enough of these luddites
There are millions of PCs in the 3rd world running XP, 512Mb RAM is very common, cutting them off because they are deemed "old" would be rather an arrogant move, most of the world can't afford to stay on the upgrade wagon.
I didn't know there was a basic HTML version of it. So I looked at it, and it's much nicer than their usual version.
I'm still not going to use it, because webmail is stupid, and I'm going to keep using a proper MUA, like anybody with any sense does.
If you don't have your own domain to use in email addresses, so that you can change email providers when they pull stuff like this on you, get one now. It's cheap, it looks more professional than a freemail address and it gives you more control.
I prefer the HTML only sometimes. On slow computers anything else can bog things down.
It's faster, and lower attack surface for vulnerabilities.
Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
My goodness, gmail's interface is so freaking bad that perhaps going back to a simple HTML it may become useful. Some good news at last.
Just use the basic html version (or use an external client that connect to gmail through POP3 or IMAP). Problem solved and works much better.
But yeah, not sure why you would use chrome in the first place though.
The JS version of Gmail is fucking horrific.
It is written by retards that don't understand the foundations of WHY JavaScript sucks. (which is ironic since Google are also the reason for JavaScripts massive improvements since V8 onwards)
Namely that high-enclosure code is SLOW AS HIGH HELL to run because the overhead is through the roof.
This is one thing that can't easily be fixed unless the core of JS is rewritten. WebASM will come before that.
This is the reason pretty much most Google services have gotten insanely slower in recent years. Not a problem if you use a modern machine. HUGE problem if you use older devices.
Youtube is near impossible to use on Netbooks now. The new video player is the worst thing ever. The Flash player works perfectly fine. The MOBILE player works perfectly fine, weirdly. The desktop one is trash.
Google Maps became both uglier and slower on that most recent update a year or so ago. Everything is now pixelated as fuck, especially when zooming. But Street View is just straight up no. Constant 100%, a rare thing to see indeed. It's a Powerpoint of houses.
I mean, seriously.
I liked the more basic interface while I had to use it recently for a short time. (The newer interface kept crashing Firefox at work, but they finally upgraded the version on our work computers.) Unfortunately, I don't believe it has much support for folders, which Gmail has renamed to "Labels". I couldn't figure out how to move messages out of the Inbox and into other folders. (You could ADD other labels, but not remove the Inbox one.) Maybe I'm just stoopid.
Google interfaces are shit but you're right, you are stupid.
Archive the email after giving it a label.
Put away those pitchforks; and douse those flaming torches gents. THIS UI is so much better.. Go ahead, punk, try Compose; it doesn't take up the entire window, etc. The reason there was a group devoted to it, until they disappeared. (oldcompose.com, if i recall correctly) But now, it's back. Rejoice.
Occasionally if Google Search decides that your recent queries look like those of an abusive bot, such as pasting in your credit card number to see if it's on any public list, it'll return a CAPTCHA and/or links to popular Windows antivirus software instead of search results.
Yes indeed, I've been using the basic HTML GMail interface for years now, never liking their slow JS version that blocks every time you click on anything.
I've posted instructions to do so before:
http://pipedot.org/2TPQ
Slashdot gets worse every day... Pipedot: News for nerds, without the corporate slant
I don't see why this is a problem. I went to great lengths to figure out how to stop Google updating my Gmail from the old simple HTML version. It's simple, fast (even on dodgie wifi connections) and does everything I want to do.
The "Basic" interface has always been more useful. It works on more web browsers, including embedded ones (I think I once used it on a PS3) and it isn't slow. I'd use it if I didn't use Gmail with real e-mail clients over IMAP (on both mobile and desktop).
"Do no evil"
There's an OS that I'm wondering if anyone here's ever heard of, it's called Guh-New Lynn-Ukks, or something like that... from what I've heard, it's gaining in popularity, and I was just wondering, has anyone used it, and of those who have, have you ever been FORCED to upgrade anything or had anyone break something that worked on your Lynn-Ukks Bochs, or whatever, making it unusable to you AFTER installing it?
Also, when you answer, what dys-chroeh do you use? I hear people liky Debby-in, Red-dat, Oo-boon-too, and something called "Mindt" or something.
Surely someone here has heard of this and can comment?
Please?