New Google Groups User Interface - Tested

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galfert

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Aug 5, 2020, 2:48:20 PM8/5/20
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Anyone try the New Google Groups user interface?

I tried it and I have switched back to Classic Google Groups.

The following two things were very annoying:

- Messages that you read stayed marked unread after reading them. Sometimes they got marked read and other times not.
- When jumping in and reading a long thread it didn't automatically scroll you down to the first unread....very tedious.

Luckily it was very simple to switch back to Classic Google Groups (click on settings gear icon and select to switch back), and I gladly provided these two reasons to Google as to why I was switching back to classic as you are prompted by a feedback link when switching back. I encourage others test and to also provide feedback to make sure that these things get fixed before we are all forced to adopt the new user interface that they are working on.

The new interface did look very nice and I can see that eventually it will work much nicer for mobile devices.

gjr80

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Aug 5, 2020, 4:53:28 PM8/5/20
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Yes, tried it a couple of weeks ago and whilst it looks nice I found a number of UI annoyances, specifically the absence of a means to insert/format inline code in a post (well I couldn’t find it) and the list of groups that I use would be collapsed each time I opened the page (two clicks to change groups rather than one, small detail but annoying). I too changed back to classic and left some appropriate feedback. That was on the desktop machine, from memory use on the iPad was much better than the existing mobile experience but at the same time just as annoying as the desktop.

Gary

Tom Keffer

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Aug 5, 2020, 5:33:25 PM8/5/20
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99% of the time, I interact with the user's group through gmail. Is there any reason to use the Groups user interface?

On Wed, Aug 5, 2020 at 1:53 PM gjr80 <gjrod...@gmail.com> wrote:
Yes, tried it a couple of weeks ago and whilst it looks nice I found a number of UI annoyances, specifically the absence of a means to insert/format inline code in a post (well I couldn’t find it) and the list of groups that I use would be collapsed each time I opened the page (two clicks to change groups rather than one, small detail but annoying). I too changed back to classic and left some appropriate feedback. That was on the desktop machine, from memory use on the iPad was much better than the existing mobile experience but at the same time just as annoying as the desktop.

Gary

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gjr80

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Aug 5, 2020, 5:42:08 PM8/5/20
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Main reason I don’t use gmail replies is lack of ability to format replies, maybe there is a way to add in line code formatting, change font etc but my googling has yet to find it.

Gary

Tom Keffer

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Aug 5, 2020, 5:45:10 PM8/5/20
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I used to use keyboard shortcuts for that, but then they broke them. Now I just use my mouse. Tedious, but it works.

-tk

On Wed, Aug 5, 2020 at 2:42 PM gjr80 <gjrod...@gmail.com> wrote:
Main reason I don’t use gmail replies is lack of ability to format replies, maybe there is a way to add in line code formatting, change font etc but my googling has yet to find it.

Gary

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gjr80

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Aug 5, 2020, 5:57:57 PM8/5/20
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Ah, OK, I see. Will have to get an adapter to plug the mouse into the iPad :)

Gary

Greg from Oz

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Aug 5, 2020, 6:01:51 PM8/5/20
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I don't think you see as much of the screen on the new version because the headings don't scroll away like in the classic version.

Tom Keffer

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Aug 5, 2020, 6:03:11 PM8/5/20
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I don't know how you do it on an iPad! I have two monitors, a full-sized keyboard and a mouse. I wouldn't even attempt it on a touch device!

On Wed, Aug 5, 2020 at 2:58 PM gjr80 <gjrod...@gmail.com> wrote:
Ah, OK, I see. Will have to get an adapter to plug the mouse into the iPad :)

Gary

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Greg from Oz

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Aug 5, 2020, 6:04:56 PM8/5/20
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Forgot to mention the old version jumps to the latest post of a long list where the new version you have to scroll down to it. That is annoying when there are lots of replies.

vince

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Aug 5, 2020, 6:32:31 PM8/5/20
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On Wednesday, August 5, 2020 at 3:04:56 PM UTC-7, Greg from Oz wrote:
Forgot to mention the old version jumps to the latest post of a long list where the new version you have to scroll down to it. That is annoying when there are lots of replies.



Definitely not a fan of the new groups interface. Switched back basically instantly.
Of course I'm a dinosaur and can't stand the Discord interface either :-)

Gimme a terminal window and 1993's version of 'nn' for USENET News anytime !!!!!
(no - I do not use emacs macros, although I know emacs zealots who do)
 

Pat

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Aug 9, 2020, 2:35:12 PM8/9/20
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I'm trying it as well. Saw an article that a lot of the old Google-style sites will be phased out later this year, so I'm trying to get used to it. I agree, I don't like it that much; wish they'd put inline code editor back in. 

(Vince, As for Discord; I'd much prefer that to email/groups :-) )

Vetti52

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Aug 10, 2020, 10:43:27 AM8/10/20
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the most annoying thing is, that whenever I log in, I am driven to the new interface and have to switch back to the good old one. And everytime, the new version starts, an error message about server failure pops up.
So, my advice it to even not try to use it! And Emacs would be worth to look at, as it was much better than the new interface! ;-)

gjr80

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Aug 21, 2020, 4:34:29 PM8/21/20
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So the cutover has begun, I see all my mobile devices have changed to the new ‘improved’ look with no ability to change back to the old. My desktop will still use the old but says the new is coming.

Gary

galfert

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Aug 21, 2020, 4:55:47 PM8/21/20
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Yes the cutover has begun. And there is also a banner now at the top of the classic interface that says, "The new Google Groups offers all your favorite features with a fresh look and will replace classic Groups soon
The good news is that I think they seemed to have fixed the bug where messages were not being marked read. That one issue was particularly extremely annoying.

Tom Keffer

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Aug 21, 2020, 5:52:11 PM8/21/20
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It's even worse as a moderator. As far as I can tell, there is no way to edit the "welcome" message.

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gjr80

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Aug 21, 2020, 8:05:28 PM8/21/20
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On Saturday, 22 August 2020 at 07:52:11 UTC+10 tke...@gmail.com wrote:
It's even worse as a moderator.

Yes, would have to agree, my Groups page descended into chaos when someone gave me the gift of moderation a couple of months back :)  Still not sure who to thank for that one....

Then again, given Google's current stoush with Australia I don't see things getting any better down here anytime soon.
 
As far as I can tell, there is no way to edit the "welcome" message.

I thought I saw a link but now I think I am confusing it with the classic Groups interface. A bit of Googling this morning and I thought I found a page that said editing the welcome message was only available in classic Groups and it was coming sometime to the new Groups. Guess any urgent changes need to be done now before the classic Groups is gone.

Gary

galfert

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Aug 21, 2020, 8:08:01 PM8/21/20
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Well my offer is still on the table if you want to use wxforum.net and I can make you moderator so that you can have full control of all posts and even have sub-groups for development and for general and maybe even a sub-group templates or maybe a sub-group for newbies for installation or anything you want to customize. You can mark topic titles *solved* or whatever else. You can also use Tapatalk. Email notifications are also there to subscribe or unsubscribe from topics. Mi casa, su casa.


On Friday, August 21, 2020 at 5:52:11 PM UTC-4, Tom Keffer wrote:
It's even worse as a moderator. As far as I can tell, there is no way to edit the "welcome" message.

On Fri, Aug 21, 2020 at 1:55 PM galfert <gal...@gmail.com> wrote:
Yes the cutover has begun. And there is also a banner now at the top of the classic interface that says, "The new Google Groups offers all your favorite features with a fresh look and will replace classic Groups soon
The good news is that I think they seemed to have fixed the bug where messages were not being marked read. That one issue was particularly extremely annoying.

On Friday, August 21, 2020 at 4:34:29 PM UTC-4, gjr80 wrote:
So the cutover has begun, I see all my mobile devices have changed to the new ‘improved’ look with no ability to change back to the old. My desktop will still use the old but says the new is coming.

Gary

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Xant

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Aug 21, 2020, 11:10:28 PM8/21/20
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Just to add myself into the "new interface Protesters".... there are so many issues, thats even hard to list and/or post. 

This kind of disruption is really unecessary to the Weewx Community...

Xant

vince

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Aug 22, 2020, 3:09:06 PM8/22/20
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On Friday, August 21, 2020 at 8:10:28 PM UTC-7, Xant wrote:
This kind of disruption is really unecessary to the Weewx Community...



We're all victims of Google 'improvements' here.

Nobody in the weewx community has the slightest influence on Google's decisions.
 

galfert

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Sep 4, 2020, 8:38:56 AM9/4/20
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I got a little pup-up today asking me how I like the new Google Groups.... Hehe... I let them know how terrible it was. 
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