@Brandon M:

Another customer having problems with the "auto save to drafts" feature:

http://windowslivehelp.com/community/t/128731.aspx

How's your investigation into the text "jumping" problem coming along?

@MSFT Brandon M:

Another customer upset over "auto save to drafts" ...

http://windowslivehelp.com/community/t/132542.aspx

... in this case, customer is not complaining about the text "jump" issue, but is complaining that (in some cases) the saved drafts do not automatically go away.

We REALLY DO need an option to disable/enable this feature .... and I'm sure you know how EASILY this option could be implemented. So, why hasn't the product team chosen to provide this option???

A disable feature is something we're looking into for a future version - but it's not something that's going to be available in the near future unfortunately (and despite your assertion it's not something that can easily be implemented if for no other reason we'd have to pass through localization for the numerous languages that are supported).

@Brandon M:

MSFT Brandon M:

we'd have to pass through localization for the numerous languages that are supported

... yes .... but doing so is not rocket science.

I have already developed a ONE LINE script that can be used to change the save frequency (and setting the frequency to something like 99 minutes will effectively result in a disable option).

As you can see, there are many customers who would like to just disable the feature.

MSFT Brandon M....thank you for the advocacy!

@Brandon M:

Another customer with a "save to drafts" problem ...

http://windowslivehelp.com/community/p/130520/492232.aspx#492232

This customer implies that the message they are composing is not only saved, but also posted ...

"If you compose a msg within a live group then every 3mins it "SAVES" & POSTS your msg whilst you are still writing ...... If you take 15 minutes to compose your msg then when you finally hit the publish key, You discover that your post appears 5 times ...."

Again, this customer's problem presents a good argument for either a disable/enable option or an option to change the save interval.

Brandon, you should listen to Langware.  He seem more knowledeable than you.  I want the 99 minute option.  (and that 'post' problem is totally unacceptable.) 

This saving problem feels like an invasion of privacy.

Pattygirl2

Langware has shown real initiative and interest in getting this addressed.  Could his suggestions be tried rather than just debated?  'Doing nothing until "in the future"' is not a good plan.  This saving feature is very annoying 'now' - no one opted in for this kind of annoyance!    Thank you.

Mainecoon Cats

This customer implies that the message they are composing is not only saved, but also posted ...

"If you compose a msg within a live group then every 3mins it "SAVES" & POSTS your msg whilst you are still writing ...... If you take 15 minutes to compose your msg then when you finally hit the publish key, You discover that your post appears 5 times ...."

Again, this customer's problem presents a good argument for either a disable/enable option or an option to change the save interval.

POST is a term used by HTTP - any time you send data to the server (like say adding a contact to your address book, sending an email, creating a folder) it performs a HTTP POST command. Since the auto-draft feature is temporarily storing a copy of the message to the server, a similar HTTP POST command has to be made to send the data to the server. So, write a mail for 15 minutes and you'll send 5 HTTP Post commands - and then one more HTTP POST when you send the mail.

Anyway, as I mentioned there isn't a short term fix that I can provide for this unfortunately - it's something that the Product Group is reviewing for inclusion in a future release.

@Brandon M:

I do not use live groups, and have never written a message there ... but I am interpreting this customer's complaint as follows ....

With Hotmail's "auto save in drafts", the message one is composing is saved in the customer's Drafts folder every three minutes. No one (besides the customer) sees the intermediate auto saved drafts. Regardless of how many times the messae is saved to drafts, the recipient does not see the message until the customer clicks the Send button. That is how I assume the "save to drafts" feature works with Hotmail.

However (again, this is just my interpretation of the customer's complaint), this customer appears to be saying that when writing a message for live groups, all of their intermediate "drafts" are actually posted in to group for all to see. So others see drafts (with all the mistakes, etc) along with the final version. That is how I interpreted this statement by the customer ...

"If you compose a msg within a live group then every 3mins it "SAVES" & POSTS your msg whilst you are still writing ...... If you take 15 minutes to compose your msg then when you finally hit the publish key, You discover that your post appears 5 times ...."

If indeed that is what is happening (i.e., all of the intermediate drafts being typed by the customer in live groups are made visible to other group members), then I suspect that is not what the developers had in mind for the "auto save to drafts". Again, I do not use live groups, so perhaps I am just mis-interpreting the customer's complaint.

I noticed that the saving to drafts mode also occurs in Gmail.  perhaps others - but that is all I use at this time.  This is more evidence to me that homeland security under Janet Napalitano has crossed the line of privacy rights.

Pattygirl2

Oh I misunderstood - Live Groups is completely seperate and has nothing to do with the Auto Save draft function in Hotmail. If they recently added an auto-save draft feature it's merely a coincidence (I don't know anything about Live Groups so I can't confirm if they have or haven't)

I noticed that the saving to drafts mode also occurs in Gmail.  perhaps others - but that is all I use at this time.  This is more evidence to me that homeland security under Janet Napalitano has crossed the line of privacy rights.

 

Pattygirl2

The government didn't request us to do this, it's actually a feature that was requested by customers (not all customers obviously, but a significant amount). As is mentioned in our Privacy statement, we don't provide your personal data to anyone without a valid Subpoena from Law Enforcement.

For a while, I thought that if I wasn't connected to Live, it may not do it.  It just did it in a test - or, is it that I am connected "live" if I have this communication open with you? 

pattygirl2:

For a while, I thought that if I wasn't connected to Live, it may not do it.  It just did it in a test - or, is it that I am connected "live" if I have this communication open with you?