And it came to pass that Scott Putterman wrote:
>
>
>Matthew Thomas wrote:
>
>> bhuvan wrote:
>>
>>> ...
>>> messages for multiple accounts. A checkbox in each (POP
>>> and IMAP) server panel with pref "Log onto this account
>>> at startup of mail" ...
>>> (66460 ), having a checkbox on the AccountCentral page
>>> that says "Next time, take me to the Inbox directly" or
>>> something similar would help ...
>>
>>
>> This seems like a gradual process of repeatedly adding
>> features, each one designed to patch up the problems caused
>> by the previous one. I wasn't here at the time, but I would
>> guess this is the same process by which the UI of the
>> Search function and the Forms Manager in Navigator got into
>> the embarrassing states they are in today.
>>
>> You are gambling that each new addition will improve
>> usability, but since you are adding complexity, you are
>> gambling at worse and worse odds each time.
>>
>> Problem:
>> Some people are confused when they first open the mail
>> window, the account is selected in the folder pane, and
>> nothing is displayed in the thread or message panes.
>> Implemented solution:
>> Design a high-falutin' `Account Central' page, which
>> duplicates functions in the menus and toolbar -- with
>> the inevitable result that some users will be
>> permanently slowed by forever thinking that they *have*
>> to come here to access those functions. (That wouldn't
>> be bad in itself, were it not for the fact that going
>> to Account Central to do these things is vastly slower
>> than accessing them by any of the other methods.)
>> Alternative solution:
>> Select the Inbox, rather than the account, when the
>> mail window is first opened. In the rare event that the
>> user does choose the account level, show a simple
>> summary of the folders/groups in that account, with the
>> number of read and unread messages in each.
>
>I really disagree that Account Central is "high-falutin". We
>have done useability studies that show that new users have a
>hard time finding simple functionality (I recognize that an
>argument to this is to find a way to make this functionality
>more obvious in other ways besides this page). This page is
>an alternative form of help. It's possible that some people
>will get stuck using this page, but so what? My guess is
>that if they figured out how to use the menu items that they
>would stop using this page and if they decide they like this
>page anyway, what harm has it done?
It's a band aid, and a poor one at that. Better to create a
menu in the Mail page called "Account Manager" or somesuch, and
put the account stuff that is inappropriately stuck in'FILE"
into it.
ACCOUNT MANAGER
-new account
-new folder
-get messages
-import
-export
Now we just need to pry News out of the Mail window and into its
own window where it belongs...
>
>>
>> Problem:
>> Some people like their mail to be checked automatically
>> when they open a mail window. Other people don't.
>> Implemented solution:
>> Have a per-account pref for whether or not an account
>> is checked at startup. To completely remove all
>> possibility of the user understanding this behavior,
>> have different defaults for this pref with different
>> types of account.
>> Alternative solution:
>> If the user is in online mode when they open their mail
>> window, then check their mail in all their accounts. If
>> they're in offline mode, then don't. (As I said before,
>> online/offline mode should be persistent between
>> invocations of an application, but should not be
>> shared across Mozilla applications.) Provide keyboard
>> shortcuts for checking mail in all accounts
>> (Ctrl+Shift+T) or just the selected folder (or Inbox of
>> the selected account) (Ctrl+T).
>>
>I think as Ben mentions later on, just because a user is
>online it doesn't mean they are connected to all of their
>accounts. We need some help from the user about what accounts
>they are actually planning on being connected to.
It's been my experience that the user:
wants all accounts checked automatically
Does not want all accounts checked automatically.
Wants some accounts checked automatically and not others.
Pegasus Mail allows the user to select for EACH account:
auto check y/n
check every xx.xx minutes
the type of authentication to access SMTP;
-POP3 user/password
-validate by retreiving POP3 mail
-other user/password
If they can do it, why not Mozilla?
>Now, I have been arguing for automatically getting their mail
>but it seemed that POP users were against this. We have also
>done useability studies where people just expect their mail
>to be there. I'm not sure that the default for Check New
>Mail, that Bhuvan mentions, should be off for default POP
>accounts. I have no data to back this up, but it seems to me
>that more people would want to have their mail checked on
>startup than not and that we should make the people who don't
>want it to happen turn off the pref. But, I'm also not a POP
>user.
It should be part of the account set-up:
pop3 account
server
user/password
advanced:
port
do not download if larger than:
automatically check on startup?
Get count but don't download
Download but leave on server
Download and clear server
Download only unread
Checking multiple:
When checking mail, check all identities
When checking mail, don't check this account
--
}:-) Christopher Jahn
{:-( Dionysian Reveler
He whose lust lasts, lasts longest. (Harold Pinter?)
To reply: xjahnATyahooDOTcom
