Microsoft to Fix Hotmail Issues, NOT Bring Back Classic Looks

Article by George Norman (Cybersecurity Editor)

on 13 Nov 2008

Microsoft’s decision to go ahead and modify the interface of its Hotmail service did not go well with the users. The service’s classic looks were much appreciated it seems, and people are not about to adopt any changes, even if they are implemented so as to make it run faster. After several thousand Hotmail users expressed their discontent Microsoft scrambled to fix the problems within the new Hotmail, but by no means does it intend to switch back to the classic look.

This is what Microsoft has to comment on the situation: “We're actively investigating the issues noted by our customers and are working to take the appropriate steps to remedy the situation as rapidly as possible. We appreciate the feedback from our customers to move the product forward. We continually look for ways to give our users a great experience and hope they will find value in the new features we've released.”

It must be noted that last week Hotmail users could switch between the classic and modern look. It was when the option was pulled by Microsoft and when the modern look turned out to be more of a hassle than useful that the complaints started to pour in. For those of you keeping track, a similar fiasco occurred in 2006 and Microsoft was then forced to switch back to the classic Hotmail look.

The Hotmail team offered three workarounds that you can use until the kinks in Hotmail are ironed out.

1. Download and install Windows Live Media. The service is of course free-of-charge and will run on all Windows-based systems.
2. Download and run Outlook Connector. This download as well is free.
3. Try the Hotmail mobile version, which allows you to access your Hotmail inbox from anywhere in the world, as long as you have an internet connection. The down side is that Hotmail mobile is a stripped-out version of the regular mail client.

The whole thing is reminiscent of the iGoogle makeover fiasco that occurred late October. Just as in the case of Hotmail, the users were not content with the changes, nor were they pleased that the modifications were made with no prior warning or notification.


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