Kevin, thank you for these suggestions.  I will try to explain some of our design decisions below.  One reason the settings is not to the right is because it is a section.  Sections are highlighted while the items on the right--the advanced search, chat, notifications, and user menu are not highlighted.

We are trying to avoid adding any NEW things with the BETA at this moment.  Right now we want to make SmarterMail 17 100% usable and bug free as possible.  We have some VERY exciting news on how updates will be released in the near future, and we will be discussing community items very shortly after release.

I'm not declining this idea or any others currently, just trying to give you a heads-up on how where's currently approaching proposed ideas in our products.

Thanks.

Robert, I do appreciate the reply, and understand the need to publish a stable version ASAP.

When things settle down, consider that 99% of all mail systems have the Settings button on the right, so that's what users would expect in SmarterMail.  Make it open a new window like chat and reminders if you need to fit it into your design.

And looking forward to your exciting news about how updates are released. Hopefully it uses your forum and prioritizes user requests, like this one that's been on the list nearly 4 years and is in the top 10 all-time votes:

Kevin

Also, you'll need to move the "New" menu button (+) over to the right because it does not fit your logic as a 'section' because it has a drop down menu. :)

Better yet, just eliminate the New button across the top and put a drop-down arrow on the blue "New" button (just like the Delete & Reply buttons) inside the mail section.

This cleans things up and eliminates confusion. Maybe others can give this a thumbs up if they like the idea.