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Yay! I've got the old style of Gmail Compose back - in Firefox!

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IainB:
It has really been p#ss$ng me off - the way Google, not content with making Gmail a space-wasting, glary, and eye-straining as all heck mess, then decided to arbitrarily take away the Compose page and replace it with a compulsory squidgy, cramped-up piece of rubbish. I detest being dictated to by service suppliers.
If you use Chrome/Chromium, then there is apparently an extension you can download from the app store that will restore the old-style Compose page and functionality, but there's apparently nothing similar for Firefox.

Then today I read in a Lifehacker post:
Gmail Compose Windows, Noisy Environments, and Progress Bars
...
Force Your Browser to Load the Old Gmail Compose Window
Scott shares a way to force Gmail to use the classic compose window:

* I learned that specialized extensions that bring back the old Gmail compose window mostly work by switching the user agent to Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 8.0; Windows NT 6.0). So I just downloaded the UAControl extension for Firefox, which lets you set up the user agent on a per site basis. Now whenever I am using Gmail in Firefox, I have the classic compose window!
__________________________
If you're using Chrome instead of Firefox, you can use the extension User-Agent Switcher for Chrome to get the same effect.
_______________________

--- End quote ---

So, I downloaded/installed the Firefox add-on UAControl
Then I restarted Firefox opened the new add-on's Options panel, and added the two properties lines thus:
   mail.google.com
   Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 8.0; Windows NT 6.0)


Then I refreshed the Gmail page, pressed the stupid big red Compose button, and presto! There it was. The old-style Compose page, ergonomically rather good, with appearance and functionality returned.
Try it yourself if you want the return of the old-style Compose page.
Then you too can flip Google the bird.

TaoPhoenix:
Heh I don't need this precise advice, "but I approve of this message".

I "spread the word" of Firefox Adblock (I know, basic level) to my cable internet installer, just because on principle I get grouchy about how these guys like to move stuff around slowly taking our comps away from us.

I know, drifting off topic a hair, but in topic at the meta level, today I finally discovered the reason for the strange "usability problem" signing out of yahoo mail. You have to *mouse-over but not click* a field, and only then click sign out. For misc reasons, I finally did it today without adblock on.

Answer: it tricks you into clicking the ad!
:tellme:  :mad:

p.s. Yahoo has started animating their yahoo logo in searches with airplanes and junk! Adlblock daily to the rescue!

app103:
That was pretty much the way I forced GMail to default to the basic HTML version in K-meleon, on my old slow PC. Except there was no plugins or add-ons needed to do it. (K-Meleon has the ability to change the user agent on the fly, built in)

I just clicked the button on the toolbar and typed something like "Have mercy on this Snail PC" in the box and GMail had no clue how to handle that, so it automatically sent me straight to the basic HTML version, with a message up at the top about how my browser was unsupported.  ;D

Since I already have User Agent Switcher for Firefox installed (comes in handy for other things), I might use it for this on an as-needed basis, as I only prefer the old Compose when accessing from my personal email account (not all accounts).

cyberdiva:
Many thanks, IainB!  I thought I'd pretty much reconciled myself to using the ugly, annoying new style until I read your message, downloaded the add-on, and tried it out.  What a pleasure!   

lanux128:
also featured in Lifehacker, there is another add-on which automates the UA trick called 'Old Compose'.

• http://lifehacker.com/hate-gmails-new-compose-window-old-compose-brings-the-1308260149

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