Large chat box on voice

While I like the idea of adding voice to the game I already don't like the way they set it up.
The chat box is too big. You can close it down making it smaller so it doesn't take up much space on your screen but it's still too big.

They added a mute button for the voice which is necessary but damn, did they have to make it so big? Because of this part of the box, it's the reason it's so large to begin with.

If you haven't downloaded it yet when you do which is quick, you'll see a new chat box and it's very different then the old one and as I stated, much larger. I guess I'll need to get used to it but as it stands now, I don't like it.

I didn't like how the History and the IM windows were combined. That really needs to go back to the old format.

The Chatterbox, or Communications window, or whatever it's called now, is a terrible wast of screen space.

So far as I can tell, it is wasting space for an oversized volume control with a lot of dead space around it even when you have voice disabled.

It's a terrible design.

Regrettably it is consistent with other aspects of the interface such as the huge object editor dialog. Other programs manage to include more control flexibility in slim, elegant, space efficient toolbars that are small enough one can leave them up all the time without having one's workspace overly cramped in size or always partially obscurred.

Agreed. That new chat dialogue box is way too big. The other boxes are big too, but that's not so critical, since they can be closed down most of the time without damaging the overall experience. It is pretty much essential to have the chat windows open when talking/typing, which leaves you with teh choice of either seeing the other person of seeing what they said. Not fun.

I was actually half hoping they'd scale it down in the last few beta updates and then the firstviewer, but they didn't. I don't really get it's design, I almost always have IM windows cut down significantly so that I can see what the hell is going on around me, not to mention read what is being said in main-chat.

It's yet another feature that seems to be pushing this all-voice mentality that people are fearing? I don't like it. Bulky and unnecessary.

It's how can I say this politely... an abomination.

Who ever designed it must have failed "How to Design User Interfaces" 101. Prolly someone fresh out of college, all useless design theory and no practical experience.

This is under discussion on jira https://jira.secondlife.com/browse/VWR-1076

Please make your views known there, and they may be taken into account!