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The most exciting news here is that they're iterating on Gmail again. It was clear that Gmail was stagnating for a while as they were investing in Inbox. It's u

The most exciting news here is that they're iterating on Gmail again. It was clear that Gmail was stagnating for a while as they were investing in Inbox. It's unfortunate that Inbox didn't take off, but now that it looks like they're putting the effort behind Gmail proper, we'll be seeing continual updates and improvements. In just the past 6 months we've seen native Gmail add-ons (that work across web and mobile) and now confidential mode, Calendar/Keep/Tasks sidebars, and Material look and feel. It's more work for us working on the InboxSDK, but I'm gladly willing to make the tradeoff of some extra work for a more robust and vibrant underlying platform.

nailer 8y ago
I wish they'd just fix Gmail sync between tabs. Sending a reply to a message you've already replied to (because the first reply didn't show up in the tab) is embarrasing.
- gk1 8y ago
  That seems like a non-problem. You can easily prevent it by having only one Gmail tab open at a time.
  - pmontra 8y ago
    Not with GMail, which I don't use, but sometimes I open a site again instead of looking for it in the windows and tabs I leave open forever (32 GB RAM help). It happens with Google Drive and Docs. Maybe the OP also keeps many tabs open.
    - gk1 8y ago
      If you have so many tabs open that you forget what you have open and start opening new tabs of the same site, then you should have fewer tabs open. This reminds me of the joke where, upon realizing that normal pens don’t work in space, the US spent millions of dollars developing a “space pen” that will work in zero-gravity, while Russia just decided to use pencils.
      - mattkrause 8y ago
        That pen thing would be a great anecdote....if it were true.
        lmm 8y ago
        It's substantially true. The pen was developed by a private company rather than the government, but "the US spent" is fair if we consider it to refer to the country as a whole. Using pencils in space did cause genuine issues, but the Russian space programme did live with those issues until the space pen was developed.
        EpicEng 8y ago
        >but "the US spent" is fair if we consider it to refer to the country as a whole. Of course, that's not what anyone means when they repeat this nonsense, and the entire point of the story is to create a narrative that the US government is bloated, wasteful, and stupid.
        lmm 8y ago
        I've seen it more used to create a narrative about US culture as being overly technology-focused and lacking a sense of making do / good-enough. Shrug.
        EpicEng 8y ago
        Regardless, using a BS story to push such a narrative is a bad idea.
      - mantas 8y ago
        .. then Russians learned pencil breaking off in space ain't good and bought same American pens :)
      - squeaky-clean 8y ago
        Graphite from pencils breaks into small splinters that fly around in zero-g and short out equipment. Sometimes I write and review a long email in one tab over the course of an hour or so while still responding to shorter emails in another tab. Just yesterday I had to out together a small report with some log examples and network graphs. So there's 2 tabs open. Sometimes I'll also have older emails open to refer back to them. Easily brings that to 3, 4, 5 tabs. It also doesn't properly update the mobile app or notifications, and I have one coworker who shows up as a different name whether I'm using the desktop or mobile app.
  - kalleboo 8y ago
    I use pinned tabs for sites like these (messengers etc). Safari mirrors one instance among all your windows so you never end up with multiple copies pinging away with notifications
  - nailer 8y ago
    > That seems like a non-problem. You can easily prevent it by having only one Gmail tab open at a time. That seems like a non solution. I frequently compose multiple documents full screen, while multitasking between different items of work. Judging by the upvotes before your edgy comment I'm not the only one. Other apps maintain state being used in multiple windows, gmail should do the same.
jbob2000 8y ago
Inbox didn’t take off? That’s news to me! It’s the only way I use gmail, I haven’t used the old interface since inbox was released. It pairs with the mobile app really well.
- baud147258 8y ago
  For Inbox, I remember switching, seeing the new tabs, saying "Meh, those are useless" and going back to the normal interfaces since.
  - andybak 8y ago
    Did you not figure out what was actually different about it? As far as I know Inbox bundles are a unique feature and one I could not do without.
    - baud147258 8y ago
      The thing is, I didn't see anything new that made me wish to use it. I just saw new part to the interface that seemed useless to how I use gmail, so I went back.
      - andybak 8y ago
        Inbox bundles are a revelation. I guess it's a shame Google failed to get the message out better.
        gumami 8y ago
        I, for one, hated bundles. They didn't give me enough control. I'm glad they worked well for you.
        andybak 8y ago
        The key feature is bundles _in the inbox_ Folders and filtering rules never worked for me because they gave me multiple "to do" lists. It's vital for managing complexity to have a single queue to work through. If you want to use your inbox for that - then traditional email clients fall short. If something is filtered out of my inbox then I usually end up forgetting about it. If I can't group things in my inbox then it becomes overwhelming.
indianajensen 8y ago
I've been an avid Inbox user for years. Anyone knows what's next for Inbox? Looks like it might be folded back into Gmail and discontinued as standalone?
- planb 8y ago
  I'd think so, too. The iOS app still hasn't been updated for the iPhone X screen...
- untog 8y ago
  It seems like most of these new features are Inbox, so I won't be surprised if we see it discontinued.
- MistahKoala 8y ago
  > Anyone knows what's next for Inbox? Getting canned?
- jteague 8y ago
  Google has said that there are no current plans to change or discontinue Inbox. So, at least for the immediate future, if you like Inbox, you can use Inbox.
- hoffs 8y ago
  Afaik Inbox will be like testing grounds for features that might come to Gmail in the future.
- xtracto 8y ago
  I am sure we will soon see it in the Google Graveyard ( https://www.wordstream.com/articles/retired-google-projects https://www.wordstream.com/articles/retired-google-projects )
- dmd 8y ago
  I'll be real annoyed if they end Inbox, because I use inbox's Reminders heavily. I love having my todo items and emails in the same place, because that's what my inbox IS to me.
CommanderData 8y ago
Google add ons is a poor excuse for extending Gmails functionality. I tried to create a basic app a few months ago and it is extremely limited and feels very much beta. An example: extending compose functionality in any way is impossible. Add ons are limited to when the user opens an email, that's pretty much it. Try for yourself and see.
- OmarIsmail 8y ago
  I built Streak's Gmail add-on (launch partner, and #1 add-on in the marketplace) so trust me when I say that I'm very aware of the platform's shortcomings :) If you want to do something fancy then I highly recommend using the InboxSDK (inboxsdk.com). But for basic functionality the add-ons are pretty sweet. Native mobile integration is huge, alongside massive a great distribution channel. Not sure if you've noticed in the new Gmail but they put a + button below the list of Calendar/Keep/Tasks icons that brings up the Add-On installation modal. That's pretty major.
  - CommanderData 8y ago
    I completely agree, with mobile adoption, addons reach will be incredible and I want it to happen just like any other dev. I will eventually monetize the app I build but won't go down the path of using Google's own addon platform. It will likely be InboxSDK as you point out. The sad thing here is with InboxSDK being limited to Desktop but brilliantly feature rich, my adoption will be curved by desktop use only. I imagine businesses will be much more inclined to use Google's addon market place because the ease of deployment to users, rather than a Chrome extension etc. How have your Enterprise users deployed your app to users? I haven't noticed the + yet, I'll look out for this next time. Thanks for your suggestions.
ktosobcy 8y ago
I'm not so optimistic. New UI for me looks like an unfocused drawing of a child. What's more - I rarely used the webUI previously (prefer IMAP, which kinda sucks in case of gmail) but now it's slower and looks uglier... (IMVHO)

nailer 8y ago

I wish they'd just fix Gmail sync between tabs. Sending a reply to a message you've already replied to (because the first reply didn't show up in the tab) is embarrasing.

gk1 8y ago
That seems like a non-problem. You can easily prevent it by having only one Gmail tab open at a time.
- pmontra 8y ago
  Not with GMail, which I don't use, but sometimes I open a site again instead of looking for it in the windows and tabs I leave open forever (32 GB RAM help). It happens with Google Drive and Docs. Maybe the OP also keeps many tabs open.
  - gk1 8y ago
    If you have so many tabs open that you forget what you have open and start opening new tabs of the same site, then you should have fewer tabs open. This reminds me of the joke where, upon realizing that normal pens don’t work in space, the US spent millions of dollars developing a “space pen” that will work in zero-gravity, while Russia just decided to use pencils.
    - mattkrause 8y ago
      That pen thing would be a great anecdote....if it were true.
      - lmm 8y ago
        It's substantially true. The pen was developed by a private company rather than the government, but "the US spent" is fair if we consider it to refer to the country as a whole. Using pencils in space did cause genuine issues, but the Russian space programme did live with those issues until the space pen was developed.
        EpicEng 8y ago
        >but "the US spent" is fair if we consider it to refer to the country as a whole. Of course, that's not what anyone means when they repeat this nonsense, and the entire point of the story is to create a narrative that the US government is bloated, wasteful, and stupid.
        lmm 8y ago
        I've seen it more used to create a narrative about US culture as being overly technology-focused and lacking a sense of making do / good-enough. Shrug.
        EpicEng 8y ago
        Regardless, using a BS story to push such a narrative is a bad idea.
    - mantas 8y ago
      .. then Russians learned pencil breaking off in space ain't good and bought same American pens :)
    - squeaky-clean 8y ago
      Graphite from pencils breaks into small splinters that fly around in zero-g and short out equipment. Sometimes I write and review a long email in one tab over the course of an hour or so while still responding to shorter emails in another tab. Just yesterday I had to out together a small report with some log examples and network graphs. So there's 2 tabs open. Sometimes I'll also have older emails open to refer back to them. Easily brings that to 3, 4, 5 tabs. It also doesn't properly update the mobile app or notifications, and I have one coworker who shows up as a different name whether I'm using the desktop or mobile app.
- kalleboo 8y ago
  I use pinned tabs for sites like these (messengers etc). Safari mirrors one instance among all your windows so you never end up with multiple copies pinging away with notifications
- nailer 8y ago
  > That seems like a non-problem. You can easily prevent it by having only one Gmail tab open at a time. That seems like a non solution. I frequently compose multiple documents full screen, while multitasking between different items of work. Judging by the upvotes before your edgy comment I'm not the only one. Other apps maintain state being used in multiple windows, gmail should do the same.

jbob2000 8y ago

Inbox didn’t take off? That’s news to me! It’s the only way I use gmail, I haven’t used the old interface since inbox was released. It pairs with the mobile app really well.

baud147258 8y ago
For Inbox, I remember switching, seeing the new tabs, saying "Meh, those are useless" and going back to the normal interfaces since.
- andybak 8y ago
  Did you not figure out what was actually different about it? As far as I know Inbox bundles are a unique feature and one I could not do without.
  - baud147258 8y ago
    The thing is, I didn't see anything new that made me wish to use it. I just saw new part to the interface that seemed useless to how I use gmail, so I went back.
    - andybak 8y ago
      Inbox bundles are a revelation. I guess it's a shame Google failed to get the message out better.
      - gumami 8y ago
        I, for one, hated bundles. They didn't give me enough control. I'm glad they worked well for you.
        andybak 8y ago
        The key feature is bundles _in the inbox_ Folders and filtering rules never worked for me because they gave me multiple "to do" lists. It's vital for managing complexity to have a single queue to work through. If you want to use your inbox for that - then traditional email clients fall short. If something is filtered out of my inbox then I usually end up forgetting about it. If I can't group things in my inbox then it becomes overwhelming.

indianajensen 8y ago

I've been an avid Inbox user for years. Anyone knows what's next for Inbox? Looks like it might be folded back into Gmail and discontinued as standalone?

planb 8y ago
I'd think so, too. The iOS app still hasn't been updated for the iPhone X screen...
untog 8y ago
It seems like most of these new features are Inbox, so I won't be surprised if we see it discontinued.
MistahKoala 8y ago
> Anyone knows what's next for Inbox? Getting canned?
jteague 8y ago
Google has said that there are no current plans to change or discontinue Inbox. So, at least for the immediate future, if you like Inbox, you can use Inbox.
hoffs 8y ago
Afaik Inbox will be like testing grounds for features that might come to Gmail in the future.
xtracto 8y ago
I am sure we will soon see it in the Google Graveyard ( https://www.wordstream.com/articles/retired-google-projects https://www.wordstream.com/articles/retired-google-projects )
dmd 8y ago
I'll be real annoyed if they end Inbox, because I use inbox's Reminders heavily. I love having my todo items and emails in the same place, because that's what my inbox IS to me.

CommanderData 8y ago

Google add ons is a poor excuse for extending Gmails functionality. I tried to create a basic app a few months ago and it is extremely limited and feels very much beta. An example: extending compose functionality in any way is impossible. Add ons are limited to when the user opens an email, that's pretty much it. Try for yourself and see.

OmarIsmail 8y ago
I built Streak's Gmail add-on (launch partner, and #1 add-on in the marketplace) so trust me when I say that I'm very aware of the platform's shortcomings :) If you want to do something fancy then I highly recommend using the InboxSDK (inboxsdk.com). But for basic functionality the add-ons are pretty sweet. Native mobile integration is huge, alongside massive a great distribution channel. Not sure if you've noticed in the new Gmail but they put a + button below the list of Calendar/Keep/Tasks icons that brings up the Add-On installation modal. That's pretty major.
- CommanderData 8y ago
  I completely agree, with mobile adoption, addons reach will be incredible and I want it to happen just like any other dev. I will eventually monetize the app I build but won't go down the path of using Google's own addon platform. It will likely be InboxSDK as you point out. The sad thing here is with InboxSDK being limited to Desktop but brilliantly feature rich, my adoption will be curved by desktop use only. I imagine businesses will be much more inclined to use Google's addon market place because the ease of deployment to users, rather than a Chrome extension etc. How have your Enterprise users deployed your app to users? I haven't noticed the + yet, I'll look out for this next time. Thanks for your suggestions.

ktosobcy 8y ago

I'm not so optimistic. New UI for me looks like an unfocused drawing of a child. What's more - I rarely used the webUI previously (prefer IMAP, which kinda sucks in case of gmail) but now it's slower and looks uglier... (IMVHO)