
Return Gmail Full Screens, Great Design, and Distraction-free Email - nkurz
http://home.oldcompose.com/
======
ck2
Is this something more than the plugin that sends the IE8 user agent to gmail?

I hope so, that way it will work when google finally takes the IE8 trick away.

lol, no, this is the entire plugin, seriously, it took them far longer to make
that webpage

    
    
       if (host.indexOf("mail.google.com") == 0)      {
          var agent = "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 8.0; Windows NT 6.0)";
          httpChannel.setRequestHeader("User-Agent", agent, false);  
       }

~~~
mmebane
That appears to be only the case for the Firefox version. The Chrome version
looks legit - the main implementation is in gmail.js inside the extension
folder (%LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User
Data\Default\Extensions\fcnoahpalppomkbilmlkhiimjfmpmgpk\ on Windows).

~~~
ck2
I can't download the chrome version right now but look at their code carefully
- is that code perhaps there to translate IE8 compatibility to Chrome? Is that
all it is doing or is there something more? Because I am betting it is just
IE8 compatibility. Would be happy to be wrong.

~~~
mmebane
It's using MutationObservers to look for the compose window showing up, then
click the fullscreen button on the compose window and do a couple of other
things. Here's the code:

[https://gist.github.com/anonymous/7d24b19158f33c179086](https://gist.github.com/anonymous/7d24b19158f33c179086)

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thezilch
You can also just...

* Have shortcuts on and hit "d" \-- open a new compose [browser] tab

* Hold Shift and hit "c" (or click "Compose") -- open compose in a popup

* Hold Shift+Ctrl and click "Compose" \-- open a compose that fills 90% of the viewport

~~~
dang
None of this is sufficient if, like me, you frequently have emails to reply
to.

I have to remember to shift-click "Reply" to get the larger window and _then
also_ select "Edit Subject" from a dropdown to see what I'm replying to
(which, bizarrely, causes not only the subject line but also the body of the
email to appear. Perhaps they forgot to hide it?), or click the inane "..."
they put at the bottom to see the thread. Rarely has a UI caused so much black
bile to accumulate within me.

~~~
thezilch
Nothing is more efficient than, like me, frequently replying to email with "r"
and typing my response. That which I'm replying to is directly above, so I'm
not sure I follow what you are looking for.

I don't know that this extension purports to "fix" reply. I don't recall
Gmail's reply ever working much differently than it does -- an inline textarea
under the thread. Unclear what you are gaining from shift-click replying.
Anything but inane... and hardly anything near one of the worst UIs... very
revisionist.

------
BvS
Of course you could just check 'Default to full-screen' next to the little
trash can on the bottom right of every new Gmail message (no plugin
required)...

------
imacomputer2
I'm glad you made something you really like and use. Congrats on getting on
Hacker News too!

However, I love the smaller compose box. I can't tell you how many times I
needed to look an another email while writing one. I was ecstatic when gmail
added the feature!

And let's be serious, the "tiny Gmail compose box" really isn't that tiny.

~~~
PeterWhittaker
+1/this.

I didn't like the new gmail at first, who likes when the things they use
everyday change. But "pop out reply" is fantastic, for exactly the reason you
cite: I can my emails search for context, for additional info, and move
seamlessly back and forth between the compose area and the email area - it's
like having a non-intrusive "always on top" window for note taking when doing
research.

------
molecule
For distraction-free composition in Gmail, I always keep this bookmarked:
[https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1](https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1)

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atoponce
The smaller compose window enhances productivity. With the smaller compose
window, users can view many emails while composing a single one, and the
compose window stays out of the way. No back and forth to get the details you
need.

For reading the mail as you are typing it, most humans find their eyes get
tired after reading lines longer than 120 characters. A full screen compose
window, could mean 200-250 characters. The current smaller popup wraps text
after 72 characters, which is easier to proofread when writing (many novels
wrap around 60-100 characters for this very reason).

------
theophrastus
There was a time not long ago when the gmail compose window would flexibly
configure (at least with mozilla/firefox) to some GTK rc "theme". so one could
configure keys to do useful shortcut vi/emacs-like things, like delete a whole
line. alas, no more. so "oldcompose.com" bring that functionality back and
i'll join ye.

~~~
thrownaway2424
The main part of the gmail compose window is simply a div element with
contenteditable attribute. Your browser is free to do whatever it wants there,
including vi or emacs key bindings. It's up to your browser.

~~~
theophrastus
along about early 2013 google/gmail changed something that they will only say
no longer plays happily with the edit window widget that (at least) firefox
uses (i had one javascript 'expert' tell me that gmail didn't want anyone
using other than their own single-key shortcuts)

[https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/gmail/ymngoPD...](https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/gmail/ymngoPDiiFI)
"That one should stop working, because the new composer doesn't use a TEXTAREA
for message body editor."

------
UltraMagnus
I use GMelius, and love it.

Website: [http://gmelius.com/](http://gmelius.com/) Chrome store:
[https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/gmelius/dheionainn...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/gmelius/dheionainndbbpoacpnopgmnihkcmnkl?hl=en)

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guidopallemans
Is there anyone that, like me, likes the outlook interface better than chrome?
The gmail apps and mobile website might be better, but in a normal browser
outlook is just much easier to use

------
psweber
OR

\- Hit down arrow in bottom right corner of (crappy little) compose window

\- Select "Default to Full-Screen"

~~~
tempestn
Yes, this works pretty well. It still isn't technically _full_ screen, but
it's much larger than the default one. I do wish it was possible to open a
gmail compose window without the whole gmail back-end behind it, so that I
could pop open a compose tab without waiting the few seconds it takes for
gmail to load, but I guess if I cared enough I could just find some
lightweight smtp client.

------
frandroid
It breaks the labels on the promotions, updates, forums tabs.

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ceejayoz
Heading: "Team Culturally Diverse"

Contents: Three white guys with no content about culture or diversity. Rather
an odd thing to feature on the app's main page.

~~~
ck2
100% positive it was an attempt at humor.

