Menoloopal; Ether Upheavals

A short one today. Just a bit of a rant review of recent 'upgrades' of Google things. I am not sure how global the changes have been. Some of this may pertain only within the Chromebook environment - let me know in comments if you are in Windows but still had the Chrome browser update that has now produced a fully functional calendar widget on the taskbar which takes one seamlessly into Google calendar. To be honest, I have not used that tool until now, choosing still to work with good old paper and pen. However, this is so nicely integrated, I can see myself being converted and that too, quite quickly. I did use the ColorNote app for reference when I got OctoKan, but may find that falls naturally redundant now.

There were other tweaks, the most notable (or the one most affecting my regular usage) was the launch tray where all the programs...sorry, applications... sit. I am not convinced that is an improvement as such, but it is definitely more showy.

Then, on Monday, I was gnashing my teeth because Gmail was playing up. I had been trying to send out emails and getting nowhere. I muttered to two pals on phone calls that I strongly suspected Google was tinkering under the hood yet again. On Tuesday morning, when I signed on, I was proven correct. Gmail has had quite a makeover with a new toolbar to the left of the page, typeface all changed, some fancification of the message tray. It seems that Chat has been upgraded somewhat, and is there to fill the gap left by Hangouts... which some may prefer to the Meet tool. But having become used to the latter over the past year, I shall continue to utilise that. 

The darktheme option has been expanded to work on everything over which Google has authority - so even the little pop-ups of right click are in black. I prefer this theme to white, as it is softer on the eyes of one who spends a ridiculous amount of time at the screen... I just wish that the Blogger comments issues had been sorted and more integrated but that one, I suspect, will have to wait for the next big 'upgrade' on that platform. 

Never-ending change, eh? Some of it good, some of it not, and a lot of it made simply because someone wanted something to look different, adding no value to the interface experience at all. Hey ho...

Now to move on with things and accept the inevitability of these tinkerings.