I'm trying to work with Windows Live Mail, but I hate its appearance. Is
there any way to make the areas (boxes) better defined. I also tried to
change the line color to black but haven't succeeded so far. At the moment
every time I open it I feel like I've been transported to Miami.

I much prefer Outlook Express appearance to anything that came after it
(although the functionality of later versions seems okay, especially the
import function on WinLive...That's a winner).

May I rant a bit... It seems to me that some Microsoft software designers
make changes just for the sake of change, and thus good designs disappear. A
new American tragedy, in my opinion. So how do I undo some of the appearance
changes in Winmail Live? How do I make it resemble Outlook Express? And how
do we get rid of this penchant for dropping good designs in favor of change
for the sake of change (or is it change for the sake of money)?

Same thing with Operating Systems. I hope that someday we're going to be
able to get "light versions" of these current cumbersome operating systems
that are packed with junk that many people don't want.
Cheers.............

"...if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out" - Mark 9:47

Don wrote:

> I'm trying to work with Windows Live Mail, but I hate its appearance. Is
> there any way to make the areas (boxes) better defined. I also tried to
> change the line color to black but haven't succeeded so far. At the moment
> every time I open it I feel like I've been transported to Miami.
>
> I much prefer Outlook Express appearance to anything that came after it
> (although the functionality of later versions seems okay, especially the
> import function on WinLive...That's a winner).
>
> May I rant a bit... It seems to me that some Microsoft software designers
> make changes just for the sake of change, and thus good designs disappear.
> A new American tragedy, in my opinion. So how do I undo some of the
> appearance changes in Winmail Live? How do I make it resemble Outlook
> Express? And how do we get rid of this penchant for dropping good designs
> in favor of change for the sake of change (or is it change for the sake of
> money)?
>
> Same thing with Operating Systems. I hope that someday we're going to be
> able to get "light versions" of these current cumbersome operating systems
> that are packed with junk that many people don't want.
> Cheers.............

Errors in judgement and inadequate designs are much more likely to get fixed or replaced when people complain about them. Simply plucking out one's eye and doing nothing else is the easy, and-- one might say--the selfish approach to dealing with problems.

Don. XXCII

The current version of WLMail was in beta for many months. That's when you
needed to complain about something.

M.Hat wrote:

> Errors in judgement and inadequate designs are much more likely to get
> fixed or replaced when people complain about them. Simply plucking out
> one's eye and doing nothing else is the easy, and-- one might say--the
> selfish approach to dealing with problems.
>
> Don. XXCII

"PA Bear [MS MVP]" <PABearMVP@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:u1vUzQ3cJHA.4412@xxxxxx

> The current version of WLMail was in beta for many months. That's when
> you needed to complain about something.
>
> M.Hat wrote:

>> Errors in judgement and inadequate designs are much more likely to get
>> fixed or replaced when people complain about them. Simply plucking out
>> one's eye and doing nothing else is the easy, and-- one might say--the
>> selfish approach to dealing with problems.
>>
>> Don. XXCII

>

Many of us did complain, including several well respected MS MVP's. We
were told that the color scheme of WLM was chiseled in stone and would not
be changed. Basically WLM is useless to me because the contrast is so
poor. I use Windows Mail which is quite readable. You can rest assured
that until Microsoft fires its Feng Shui designers, I will purchase future
software from vendors more responsive to their customer's needs.

Dr. Barry L. Ornitz

[quote='PA Bear [MS MVP];935735']The current version of WLMail was in beta for many months. That's when you
needed to complain about something.

What you're saying, in effect, is that if one does not participate in the beta development of software, one should not complain about the result. What?

I complained in particular about the appearance of Windows Live Mail for good reason, I think. It looks like a vague reflection of old Miami on a cloud--at sunset. But this is only my opinion. Yours is obviously different and that's fine. I won't take you to court over it. On second thought, maybe this has something to do with Microsoft's interest in Cloud Computing--whatever that is.

I see the good Doctor agrees with me. So at least there's two of us.

Cheers, Don.

P.S. Back in the forties my mother bought me a pair of light pink trousers and she forced me to wear them to high school. Perhaps that's why I recoil at the Live Mail pastels (which I still can't change). It reminds me of my old pink trousers. Oh, where's Joe McCarthy when you need him?

Check out http://www.segal.org/tablet/live/ for details on how difficult it
is to use WLM on a small screen.

It seems as if Microsoft folks looked at the Macintosh and thought the only
attraction was pettiness and decided "we can do pretty".

In the old days one could contact relevant people at Microsoft and they
would make the right changes and do so quickly. That changed when the early
employees left. I hope Microsoft can get its groove back.

"NoSPAM" <unknown@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:ODBhCf3cJHA.2132@xxxxxx

> Many of us did complain, including several well respected MS MVP's. We
> were told that the color scheme of WLM was chiseled in stone and would not
> be changed. Basically WLM is useless to me because the contrast is so
> poor. I use Windows Mail which is quite readable. You can rest assured
> that until Microsoft fires its Feng Shui designers, I will purchase future
> software from vendors more responsive to their customer's needs.

MVPs' opinions & recommendations were ignored when Vista and Windows Mail
were in beta, too. No surprise that we're still being ignored 4 years
later.

NoSPAM wrote:

> "PA Bear [MS MVP]" <PABearMVP@xxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:u1vUzQ3cJHA.4412@xxxxxx

>> The current version of WLMail was in beta for many months. That's when
>> you needed to complain about something.
>>
>> M.Hat wrote:

>>> Errors in judgement and inadequate designs are much more likely to get
>>> fixed or replaced when people complain about them. Simply plucking out
>>> one's eye and doing nothing else is the easy, and-- one might say--the
>>> selfish approach to dealing with problems.
>>>
>>> Don. XXCII

>>

>
>
> Many of us did complain, including several well respected MS MVP's. We
> were told that the color scheme of WLM was chiseled in stone and would not
> be changed. Basically WLM is useless to me because the contrast is so
> poor. I use Windows Mail which is quite readable. You can rest assured
> that until Microsoft fires its Feng Shui designers, I will purchase future
> software from vendors more responsive to their customer's needs.
>
> Dr. Barry L. Ornitz

My reply did not connote that I was in any way disagreeing with you.

M.Hat wrote:

> 'PA Bear [MS MVP Wrote:

>> ;935735']The current version of WLMail was in beta for many months.
>> That's when you
>> needed to complain about something.
>>
>> What you're saying, in effect, is that if one does not participate in
>> the beta development of software, one should not complain about the
>> result. What?
>>
>> I complained in particular about the appearance of Windows Live Mail
>> for good reason, I think. It looks like a vague reflection of old Miami
>> on a cloud--at sunset. But this is only my opinion. Yours is obviously
>> different and that's fine. I won't take you to court over it. On second
>> thought, maybe this has something to do with Microsoft's interest in
>> Cloud Computing--whatever that is.
>>
>> I see the good Doctor agrees with me. So at least there's two of us.
>>
>> Cheers, Don.
>>
>> P.S. Back in the forties my mother bought me a pair of light pink
>> trousers and she forced me to wear them to high school. Perhaps that's
>> why I recoil at the Live Mail pastels (which I still can't change). It
>> reminds me of my old pink trousers. Oh, where's Joe McCarthy when you
>> need him?

[quote='PA Bear [MS MVP];935904']My reply did not connote that I was in any way disagreeing with you.

Okay Bear.

From the responses, I'm beginning to think there are a lot of people out there who had the same negative reaction as I did to the Live Mail appearance. I can't imagine how the people up in the high MS tower managed to come up with it and get it down the stairs and out the door without being assaulted by someone with common sense... Only went through a crowd of like-minded, pastel people, I guess.

Well, I'll just have to wear my sunglasses when I use it. And I guess I have to use it. I'm too old to struggle with a reset to Outlook Express.

Cheers, Don.