From the Testimonial thread - Fastmail's changes

Quilleron · 30 Oct 2012, 09:57 PM

WARNING - Please treat all testimonials given prior to this posting with caution as they relate to a very different version of FastMail to the one that is being offered as of today.

FastMail has enjoyed a very loyal, dare I say, devoted following over the years for doing something simply and very well.

The jury is now out as to whether the new incarnation will inspire the same level of passion and approval.

tellstar · 30 Oct 2012, 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quilleron

WARNING - Please treat all testimonials given prior to this posting with caution as they relate to a very different version of FastMail to the one that is being offered as of today.

FastMail has enjoyed a very loyal, dare I say, devoted following over the years for doing something simply and very well.

The jury is now out as to whether the new incarnation will inspire the same level of passion and approval.

I was just ready to post the same warning. I knew Fastmail, and Opera, you are NO Fastmail!!

shinobi1 · 31 Oct 2012, 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quilleron

WARNING - Please treat all testimonials given prior to this posting with caution as they relate to a very different version of FastMail to the one that is being offered as of today.

FastMail has enjoyed a very loyal, dare I say, devoted following over the years for doing something simply and very well.

The jury is now out as to whether the new incarnation will inspire the same level of passion and approval.

I agree with most of that. But not the final sentence. The jury is in, has rendered a verdict, and and gone home. The Fastmail of legend, the Fastmail which inspired such loyalty and devotion, the Fastmail virtually everyone admired and tried to copy . . . .

is now gone.

Close the door and turn out the lights. They took a clear winner, labored hard, and brought forth a screaming loser. Pity.

disneylogic · 31 Oct 2012, 10:16 PM

Oh, c'mon ... The infrastructure behind FM remains really sound, even if they mess up the cosmetics from time to time. (Remember the last GUI change?) I vastly prefer it to Google ... and Outlook-like email is an abomination.

Still, it would be nice to have tags and be able to backup and search the Notes.

Still very loyal to FM here.

**ReuvenNY** · 1 Nov 2012, 01:02 AM

The testimonials thread is for testimonials only.
I have moved all the unrelated comments to this thread.

Quilleron · 1 Nov 2012, 02:54 PM

One of the things I look for when choosing a software supplier is an open forum - one where users can post both the good and the bad about the product for everyone to see.

An organisation that has such a thing is both courageous and willing to engage constructively with its customers.

I also didn't realise that the word testimonials meant endorsement - the former supports a fact or claim whilst the latter is a sign of approval.

If a product or its ownership changes - fact - then previous testimonials may no longer apply - exactly what my warning was designed to explain.

Sad that the moderator should have thought that it needed to be moved away from that thread.

upilogue · 1 Nov 2012, 03:02 PM

Mod, Quilleron was, in effect, providing a testimony of how things are NOW.

Prior to your moving his post from the stickied testimonial thread, his post was 2 posts below a testimony from Mar 2012: "As FM have said right from the start, it's FastMail, not PrettyGraphicsMail. The graphics are kept deliberately simple for that reason." - which is no longer the case just by looking at FM login page.

And the one just above his? "One thing it does exceptionally well: personalities." - this, too, is no longer 'exceptional' with the new UI and the removal of the "Edit" personality button.

Quilleron's posting on that thread was spot on, and necessary.

FredOnline · 1 Nov 2012, 03:09 PM

And don't forget this is essentially a FastMail centric forum with add-ons.

I don't know the history of how/why the forum was set up (by Edwin, I believe?), and how/who chooses the moderators, and what criteria was applied in this respect.

ChinaLamb · 1 Nov 2012, 11:18 PM

Quilleron: Please do not speak for others in your posts.

I signed the testimonials thread years ago and mine holds fast, even through the changes.

And BTW, the "classic" interface isn't going anywhere. It's here, permanently.

Quilleron · 2 Nov 2012, 05:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChinaLamb

Quilleron: Please do not speak for others in your posts.

Please tell me where I have done so. I was just warning newcomers that what has been said may no longer apply.

And what is now being called the "classic" interface is not the same as the old fastmail interface. For one thing, it's lost its ability to be customised (I have lost all my styling). Also, why won't the login remember my choice to always wish to login to the classic interface?

Terry · 2 Nov 2012, 05:57 AM

Try ticking the box when you log in

zidium · 2 Nov 2012, 02:28 PM

Every single one of these recommendations are now probably obsoleted as of 30 October 2012, in a very negative way, by the horrendous new layout that stripped more than 60% of all the awesome features away.

ChinaLamb · 2 Nov 2012, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zidium

Every single one of these recommendations are now probably obsoleted as of 30 October 2012, in a very negative way, by the horrendous new layout that stripped more than 60% of all the awesome features away.

Still lovin the fastmail. All the old features are in the classic interface.

zidium · 4 Nov 2012, 01:30 PM

Fastmail has a history of removing deprecated interfaces. You have no guarantee the classic interface will exist tomorrow or next year, and new users won't even know about it.

In short, your response is disingenuous to people who would read these testimonials.

ChinaLamb · 4 Nov 2012, 06:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zidium

Fastmail has a history of removing deprecated interfaces. You have no guarantee the classic interface will exist tomorrow or next year, and new users won't even know about it.

In short, your response is disingenuous to people who would read these testimonials.

To thine own self be true.

You are welcome to your opinion and I am welcome to mine.

I've been an Enhanced customer and power user for over 10 years and I never felt they short-changed me on an interface. Fastmail keeps getting better for me. There are a few bugs on the current interface which I have been talking with staff about. These are being resolved. Fastmail has kept its comittments to me over the years. When they told me the Classic interface is here to stay, I have no reason to doubt them.

I am sorry you seem to have lost faith.

30 Oct 2012, 09:57 PM	#1
Quilleron Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 36	From the Testimonial thread - Fastmail's changes WARNING - Please treat all testimonials given prior to this posting with caution as they relate to a very different version of FastMail to the one that is being offered as of today. FastMail has enjoyed a very loyal, dare I say, devoted following over the years for doing something simply and very well. The jury is now out as to whether the new incarnation will inspire the same level of passion and approval.

31 Oct 2012, 10:16 PM	#4
disneylogic Essential Contributor Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Westwood, MA Posts: 348	Really .... Indulging in overreaction Oh, c'mon ... The infrastructure behind FM remains really sound, even if they mess up the cosmetics from time to time. (Remember the last GUI change?) I vastly prefer it to Google ... and Outlook-like email is an abomination. Still, it would be nice to have tags and be able to backup and search the Notes. Still very loyal to FM here.

1 Nov 2012, 01:02 AM	#5
ReuvenNY Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: New York Posts: 4,259	Moderator's comment The testimonials thread is for testimonials only. I have moved all the unrelated comments to this thread.

1 Nov 2012, 11:18 PM	#9
ChinaLamb The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: a virtually impossible but finitely improbable position Posts: 2,320	Quilleron: Please do not speak for others in your posts. I signed the testimonials thread years ago and mine holds fast, even through the changes. And BTW, the "classic" interface isn't going anywhere. It's here, permanently. Last edited by ChinaLamb : 1 Nov 2012 at 11:27 PM.

1 Nov 2012, 02:54 PM	#6
Quilleron Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 36	One of the things I look for when choosing a software supplier is an open forum - one where users can post both the good and the bad about the product for everyone to see. An organisation that has such a thing is both courageous and willing to engage constructively with its customers. I also didn't realise that the word testimonials meant endorsement - the former supports a fact or claim whilst the latter is a sign of approval. If a product or its ownership changes - fact - then previous testimonials may no longer apply - exactly what my warning was designed to explain. Sad that the moderator should have thought that it needed to be moved away from that thread.

1 Nov 2012, 03:02 PM	#7
upilogue Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Washington DC Posts: 45	Mod, Quilleron was, in effect, providing a testimony of how things are NOW. Prior to your moving his post from the stickied testimonial thread, his post was 2 posts below a testimony from Mar 2012: "As FM have said right from the start, it's FastMail, not PrettyGraphicsMail. The graphics are kept deliberately simple for that reason." - which is no longer the case just by looking at FM login page. And the one just above his? "One thing it does exceptionally well: personalities." - this, too, is no longer 'exceptional' with the new UI and the removal of the "Edit" personality button. Quilleron's posting on that thread was spot on, and necessary.

1 Nov 2012, 03:09 PM	#8
FredOnline The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Manchester UK Posts: 2,616	And don't forget this is essentially a FastMail centric forum with add-ons. I don't know the history of how/why the forum was set up (by Edwin, I believe?), and how/who chooses the moderators, and what criteria was applied in this respect.

2 Nov 2012, 05:57 AM	#11
Terry The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: VK4 Posts: 3,013	Try ticking the box when you log in

2 Nov 2012, 02:28 PM	#12
zidium Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Posts: 30	Every single one of these recommendations are now probably obsoleted as of 30 October 2012, in a very negative way, by the horrendous new layout that stripped more than 60% of all the awesome features away.

4 Nov 2012, 01:30 PM	#14
zidium Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Posts: 30	Fastmail has a history of removing deprecated interfaces. You have no guarantee the classic interface will exist tomorrow or next year, and new users won't even know about it. In short, your response is disingenuous to people who would read these testimonials.