Gmail versions - Basic HTML view and the standard view

Many users do not know that Gmail comes in two versions. Its fine if you belong to that group because as long as the service is useful to you, such technicalities can be put aside. However, it's always a good idea to at least know all what Gmail has to offer. In this article, we shall briefly look at the two Gmail versions to help you determine which one is more suited for needs.

Basic HTML view - the simpler Gmail version

The basic HTML Gmail view is the older of the two versions. It's primarily for people on slower internet connections. Many bells and whistles, like Gmail themes, are missing from this version because these fancy features tend to make the web page heavy, slowing the functionality and page display. As mentioned, this version is ideal for people who use slow internet connections such as dialup. Also, if you are downloading a very large file (via a Torrent, for example) and want to check your email on Gmail simultaneously, I recommend using this version because it will load faster saving you precious time.

The standard Gmail view - the Advanced version

The standard Gmail view puts all the Gmail features at your disposal - Gmail themes, dynamic drop down menus, rich-text formatting for composing emails and many more. Though this results in file-size-heavy web pages, people on broadband and fast internet connections will hardly notice the difference.

Please note that these two versions differ mainly in features that take time to load such as images, dynamic drop down menus. The basic functionality of composing and reading emails remains the same; though rich-text formatting is absent from the basic version.

Also, Gmail allows you to shift back and forth across the two versions and you can do so quickly by clicking on the link of the other version. This link is present in two places on the web page - near the top right and close to the bottom (in the footer). For example, I use the standard Gmail view and have links to the older version both at the top and the bottom.

So use the basic HTML version on slow internet connections or when you have a big file download in progress and shift to the fancier version for added functionality when connected through broadband.