When did Google's image-search adopt this horrible, clumsy format?

[Orrex]

It was 1000X better when it was just static thumbnails on a white background. Now you get that annoying blow-up feature when you hover over a thumbnail, and when you click on one of them you get dumped to the hosting page with the image front-and-center and the rest of the page ghosted out behind.

It's horrible. If I'd seen this format without knowing that it's Google, I'd have said "well, Google will blow this shit out of the water."

[BlueJazz]

1. So that's what it was. I thought my browser's settings were screwed up.

You're right...it sucks big time.

[Kali]

2. try getting the new "thumbnail" page to load on dial up

the old way was bad enough!

[carlyhippy]

3. I do hate the new format

if you go to the bottom of the screen, you can switch back to the old one.

[Kali]

4. oh thankyou!

don't know if I missed due to not finishing the loadup, or what but Now I know to look for it,

[Orrex]

5. You're awesome!

Foolishly, I thought that such an option would be featured prominently and in plain view, instead of buried at the bottom like that!

[Heddi]

6. You have to click back to the old format with every search, though. You can't make it permanent.

which sucks.

[MiddleFingerMom]

7. Cool -- and thank you -- I dislike the new format also, though sometimes it may come in handy. n/t

[Iggo]

18. Really? Nice!!!!

I never got to the bottom of the page before.

[realisticphish]

8. Yes, definitely

I GIS a lot, and it's EXTREMELY annoying

[Rabrrrrrr]

9. A month or so ago, and it's utter unusable shit. Hate it hate it hate it hate it.

[GreenPartyVoter]

10. And I thought Bing was bad.

[JI7]

11. it's horrible, you can click on something at the bottom to return to previous format

but i think you have to do it everytime you want to search something different.

[kentauros]

12. I don't know what y'all are talking about.

It still looks the same on my computer. Maybe Opera sets it to default the old and preferred way :)

[pokerfan]

13. I don't mind it but it's certainly not dial-up friendly

I like the "hover plane" that allows you to see a larger version and image details without having to open the image. I can find images much more quickly than via the old way.

[Orrex]

14. You're clearly insane

Mad! Mad, I tell you!

[pokerfan]

15. That's what they told me at the institute

[Tuesday Afternoon]

16. I hated it at first but I am getting used to it....and

clicking ever single time for the old format, ugh.

[Radical Activist]

17. I love it.

No more waiting for the next page to load. Just scroll down. Now when I right click an image I don't waste bandwidth downloading everything else on that page that I have no interests in. I can get just the image I want. Big improvement.

[Orrex]

19. The "wasted bandwidth" is unconvincing

I suppose if your service provider nickels-and-dimes you to death it might be an issue, but for standard highspeed service I can't see how loading an extra ten or fifteen of one hundred normal-sized pages is going to be a problem.

Regardless, I suppose the new and "improved" style could be handy to someone who uses it the way you do, but there's absolutely no reason why Google couldn't give the user the option of setting the desired format, in much the same way that filter settings are retained from one session to the next.


For whatever reason, they opted for less user-friendliness by removing the choice.

[Radical Activist]

20. It's a time issue.

My connection is OK but not lightening fast. I can scan a page of image results very quickly. Then I have to click "next page" and it takes about five times as long to load as it takes me to scan the page I'm waiting for. Then I click "next" and I'm waiting again. The new version makes it quicker.

[Orrex]

21. Fair enough, but they should still give the option

It would cost them nothing and would please everyone!

[orleans]

22. the choice is still there

someone upthread said you can click on a "basic" at the bottom of their picture page. i did and now it's back to normal.

[Orrex]

23. Not quite

Go do another image-search; you'll have to select that option again.

At least, that's how it was as of fifteen seconds ago.


Google should allow you to set either format as your default. Instead, it defaults to the new format each time you come back to the search page.


And why in the world is the "basic format" option hidden at the very bottom of the page, when all of the other search parameters are offered at the left near the top?