Posted by Angela | 0 Comments

Microsoft Takes Two Steps Back with Outlook 2010

Microsoft has announced their decision to use Word 2010 to compose and view e-mails in their new Outlook 2010 despite its failure to render HTML content in e-mails. Basically this means that any e-mail sent from an Outlook user and opened in anything other than Outlook will be distorted. Any HTML code that instructs text to be indented, or floating, or any other position will not translate on another e-mail host.

Last Wednesday, Microsoft became aware of a Twitter campaign called Fix Outlook opposed to Microsoft’s decision to use Word 2010 in the new Outlook. The campaign has built up to over 23,000 (and rising) followers using Twitter to complain about the new Outlook. The goal is to bombard Microsoft with enough complaints to make them change their product. The Email Standards Project said in their blog that they “are in no way advocating that Microsoft shift from using Word to create or render HTML emails. We’re asking that the HTML produced by the Word engine be standards compliant. This in turn will ensure that the engine will correctly render standards-based emails.”

The request seems reasonable for the majority not using Outlook. However, Microsoft continues to stand by their decision to keep Word as the rendering for Outlook 2010 and not change Word’s HTML production to be standards compliant. They claim that the Outlook user will value the assortment of tools and features that Word will provide over the concern of formatting for those not using Outlook. You can find an overview of the battle between Email Standards Project and Microsoft here.

(Photo credit to Freshview on Flickr)