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GMail - First Impressions

GMail observations · 17. July 2004, 14:42

Some brief GMail observations after using it for a while:

Searching: Searching is the way forward, Google have really hit the nail on the head here. Perhaps it would be even better if multiple search criteria could be added, e.g. search for messages with two labels applied?

Filters: Filters are easier to setup than any mail program I’ve seen before.

Labels: Far exceed folders in functionality. Allow for quick browsing of messages that may intersect different domains – no searching for the only folder that the message appear in – if labels are applied liberally, you’ll always find your message (and search is your friend if you still can’t find it :-)

My only gripe with labels is that the ‘Apply Label’ box tends to “jump” a bit depeding on whether you are viewing a message list or an individual message. Also long subjects on an individual message will cause the box to wrap. Labels themselves also suffer from this problem as they appear directly after the subject too.

Conversations: Excellent feature. Combined with searching and filters, conversations make mailing lists are easier than ever before to navigate.

I only have two small gripes with conversations. The first is that when a conversation gets very long, GMail continues to include shaded bars for all the previous messages. The bars are useless once they get above about 5-6. It would be better if GMail removed them and added a combo box of removed sender names and message dates to reopen older messages.

The second gripe I would have is that I cannot easily see how many new messages are under a conversation.

Compose: Did anyone else have to hunt for the “Compose Mail” link!? It certainly took me more than a moment to find it. It seeems to blend too well with the folder list.

Ads: Ads, what ads? Oh you mean the small unobtrusive text boxes on the right. Subtle and very occasionally interesting enough to click (I can’t recall if I have ever clicked an animated GIF or for that matter any graphical ad before). I really hope these work for Google webmail has become a very pleasant experience under GMail, I wouldn’t like to see that change.

Below the ads are Google search related links. Very useful, enough said!

Overall impressions: GMail far exceeds the competitions offerings and will remain a useful part of my internet experience. Until downloading of messages is possible, I will confine its use to mailing lists and other material I’m unlikely to want to archive, however.

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