In the near future, Gmail users will have no choice but to compose their emails in small boxes situated in a corner of the Gmail page. Like the Facebook changes we love to hate, this particular Google switcheroo was initially optional ... until it wasn't.

"[W]e're now ready to introduce the new compose experience as the default for everyone," Phil Sharp, a product manager on the Gmail team, explained in a blog post on Thursday.

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Gee! Thanks for taking away our right to choose what we prefer, Mr. Sharp!

Back to the whole Facebook comparison though. Gmail's "new compose experience" might be a bit more comfortable to those who are used to the way Facebook Chat windows popup in the lower corner of the Facebook page. (Or those who use Google Talk within Gmail or Google+ and are also accustomed to this sort of layout.)

In October, Google revealed the change to the way you compose emails in Gmail with little fanfare, but plenty of praise. Instead of using the whole browser window to tap out your missives, you would use a small box that pops up in the corner of the Gmail pageand the whole thing would supposedly becleaner, more streamlined, and other fluffy words.

For some (or "an overwhelming number," if Sharp is to be believed)this experience is preferred.For others, the whole thing is a pain in the heinie. After all, who likes change, especially that which affects workflow?



The change will roll out over the next few days, so take a moment to bid farewell to all that space you normally have when writing out emails. (For what it's worth, you can still temporarily switch back to the "old" compose window by selecting the appropriate menu option at the bottom of the new box.)

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