6 ms·

Clearly Sparrow was created for Gmail - so it's in Google's best interest to use those guts to enhance the Gmail app and dump the Sparrow app itself eventually.

Clearly Sparrow was created for Gmail - so it's in Google's best interest to use those guts to enhance the Gmail app and dump the Sparrow app itself eventually. I thought that statement about not adding features is a clear indicator of that. I don't see why one would get frustrated with that or ... feel devastated about it.

minikites 14y ago
What if you don't use Gmail?
- sidcool 14y ago
  Don't use GMail? What kind of a cruel person would do that to himself? (Sarcasm intended)
mey 14y ago
Like when Microsoft bought Lookout? edit: http://www.joelonsoftware.com/items/2007/12/24.html http://www.joelonsoftware.com/items/2007/12/24.html
- larrywright 14y ago
  Actually, this is a counterpoint. There was a period of time where Lookout was unavailable, but then it was incorporated into Outlook proper. The search in Outlook 2010 is very fast.
tvon 14y ago
A good app has been EOL'd so the developer(s) can go work on a known crappy app. We've gone from "known good" to "hopefully this will work out and the gmail iOS app will be good"... how is that not frustrating if you're a fan of the iOS apps? As for the Sparrow desktop app, well, obviously Google isn't going to be developing a native desktop app for Gmail...
- wyclif 14y ago
  Sorry, but Gmail isn't a crappy app in my way of thinking. It was the best webmail in 2004, and it still is. You may not like it, but that doesn't extrapolate to crappiness. Although I'm sorry that Sparrow is being end-of-lifed, Gmail is a best of breed web app. well, obviously Google isn't going to be developing a native desktop app for Gmail. Sounds like a feature to me, not a bug. Desktop software is going out. Why do you think Mozilla recently canned Thunderbird? I haven't used a desktop mail client since 2005.
  - tvon 14y ago
    When I say "crappy app" I'm talking about the iOS gmail app.
    - guelo 14y ago
      I believe that's Apple's app, not Google's.
      - azar1 14y ago
        Gmail By Google, Inc. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/gmail/id422689480?mt=8 http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/gmail/id422689480?mt=8
    - wyclif 14y ago
      Got it. I concede your point, but I still think it's a bit too early to issue a death certificate.
  - Johngibb 14y ago
    I think the known crappy app the commenter was referring to was the Gmail iPhone app, not Gmail in general. The app isn't nearly as good as Sparrow.
  - evan_ 14y ago
    gmail's great, but the gmail iOS client is bad.
gamble 14y ago
The entire 'mission' of the company was supposed to be providing a decent Mac/iOS client for Gmail. Now they're cancelling the product and working within Google? I don't see any reason to believe Google will find religion and release a decent Mac/iOS client when as a company they're obsessed with pushing web apps over native apps. If they wanted a decent Gmail client on iOS they should have cancelled their own app and just rebranded Sparrow.
- minikites 14y ago
  If the entire mission of the company was to make a Gmail-only mail client, why did they allow the use of other IMAP services? They should have stuck with Gmail only if that was their true mission.
  - gamble 14y ago
    To add value and broaden the appeal. The first version of Sparrow for Mac only supported Gmail. Even after adding IMAP, there was no reason anyone who didn't use Gmail would buy Sparrow, because everything it did differently from the standard Mac Mail app was oriented around Gmail.
    - novum 14y ago
      Nonsense. I've been using Sparrow as my primary email client and I don't use GMail. I like the GMail-esque concept of archiving items out of your inbox and ultimately aiming for inbox zero. It works on third-party IMAP just as it does on GMail. I am sad to see Sparrow go. :/
    - tommorris 14y ago
      The primary good thing about Sparrow for the Mac is the simplicity and lack of bloat compared to Mail.app. Lack of bloat is nice regardless of what mail server you use.
veidr 14y ago
Well devastated is (hopefully) overstating the matter, but it certainly is frustrating to see an app you use every day -- one not yet perfect, but already the best email client on iOS (or any phone OS) -- get discontinued. Sparrow was indeed originally created for gmail, but what it is today is the very best standard IMAP mail client you can get on a phone. Unfortunately, it won't be getting any better, though.

minikites 14y ago

What if you don't use Gmail?

sidcool 14y ago
Don't use GMail? What kind of a cruel person would do that to himself? (Sarcasm intended)

mey 14y ago

Like when Microsoft bought Lookout? edit: http://www.joelonsoftware.com/items/2007/12/24.html http://www.joelonsoftware.com/items/2007/12/24.html

larrywright 14y ago
Actually, this is a counterpoint. There was a period of time where Lookout was unavailable, but then it was incorporated into Outlook proper. The search in Outlook 2010 is very fast.

tvon 14y ago

A good app has been EOL'd so the developer(s) can go work on a known crappy app. We've gone from "known good" to "hopefully this will work out and the gmail iOS app will be good"... how is that not frustrating if you're a fan of the iOS apps? As for the Sparrow desktop app, well, obviously Google isn't going to be developing a native desktop app for Gmail...

wyclif 14y ago
Sorry, but Gmail isn't a crappy app in my way of thinking. It was the best webmail in 2004, and it still is. You may not like it, but that doesn't extrapolate to crappiness. Although I'm sorry that Sparrow is being end-of-lifed, Gmail is a best of breed web app. well, obviously Google isn't going to be developing a native desktop app for Gmail. Sounds like a feature to me, not a bug. Desktop software is going out. Why do you think Mozilla recently canned Thunderbird? I haven't used a desktop mail client since 2005.
- tvon 14y ago
  When I say "crappy app" I'm talking about the iOS gmail app.
  - guelo 14y ago
    I believe that's Apple's app, not Google's.
    - azar1 14y ago
      Gmail By Google, Inc. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/gmail/id422689480?mt=8 http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/gmail/id422689480?mt=8
  - wyclif 14y ago
    Got it. I concede your point, but I still think it's a bit too early to issue a death certificate.
- Johngibb 14y ago
  I think the known crappy app the commenter was referring to was the Gmail iPhone app, not Gmail in general. The app isn't nearly as good as Sparrow.
- evan_ 14y ago
  gmail's great, but the gmail iOS client is bad.

gamble 14y ago

The entire 'mission' of the company was supposed to be providing a decent Mac/iOS client for Gmail. Now they're cancelling the product and working within Google? I don't see any reason to believe Google will find religion and release a decent Mac/iOS client when as a company they're obsessed with pushing web apps over native apps. If they wanted a decent Gmail client on iOS they should have cancelled their own app and just rebranded Sparrow.

minikites 14y ago
If the entire mission of the company was to make a Gmail-only mail client, why did they allow the use of other IMAP services? They should have stuck with Gmail only if that was their true mission.
- gamble 14y ago
  To add value and broaden the appeal. The first version of Sparrow for Mac only supported Gmail. Even after adding IMAP, there was no reason anyone who didn't use Gmail would buy Sparrow, because everything it did differently from the standard Mac Mail app was oriented around Gmail.
  - novum 14y ago
    Nonsense. I've been using Sparrow as my primary email client and I don't use GMail. I like the GMail-esque concept of archiving items out of your inbox and ultimately aiming for inbox zero. It works on third-party IMAP just as it does on GMail. I am sad to see Sparrow go. :/
  - tommorris 14y ago
    The primary good thing about Sparrow for the Mac is the simplicity and lack of bloat compared to Mail.app. Lack of bloat is nice regardless of what mail server you use.

veidr 14y ago

Well devastated is (hopefully) overstating the matter, but it certainly is frustrating to see an app you use every day -- one not yet perfect, but already the best email client on iOS (or any phone OS) -- get discontinued. Sparrow was indeed originally created for gmail, but what it is today is the very best standard IMAP mail client you can get on a phone. Unfortunately, it won't be getting any better, though.