By Dennis D. McDonald

I regularly use a MacBook Pro, an old laptop running Ubuntu Linux, and a small Asus notebook computer running Windows 10. Mostly the MacBook Pro. For email across the three I use Gmail accessed via Chrome as well as Microsoft Outlook.

A couple of weeks ago I switched from "classic" Gmail to the new version but I have decided to switch back. Why? Two reasons.

First, Google Contacts is easily accessible from within the old Gmail interface, right there in the upper left hand corner via a prominent drop down menu. I use Google Contacts on all my devices. This older version of Gmail makes switching between Gmail and Contacts simple and easy.

Second, I don't like the over-dependence on small icons of the new Gmail and the constant expansion and contraction of the left hand label options in the new Gmail. It's annoying. The old Gmail makes the label (folder?) list always on. For me that's clean and straightforward.

If I didn't know any better I would have thought that, had Google made this switch a couple of years ago, they were following the lead of Microsoft into an over-iconization of user interfaces in an attempt to standardize across PC and tablet platforms. Or, maybe this Google switch has something to do with Chrome OS and a decision to retreat from cross operating system functionality; I've attempted the use of ChromeOS but finally went back to Linux on that particular laptop. Apple seems not to have made such radical user interface changes as Google even as it moves slowly to integrating macOS and iOS.

So, call me conservative and old fashioned. I'm usually quick to adopt new functionality but this new Gmail seems a step back. True, I may eventually be forced to adopt the new Gmail against my preferences anyway, but that may in turn force me to move over to Outlook email as my primary email.

Copyright (c) 2018 by Dennis D. McDonald