I switched from the multi-column to the single column as soon as I found out I could switch back. And I agree, the single column is possibly even more hideous than the multiple panels (but easier to parse).
However, this is not the same view as the previous interface. This was the (very) old:
Since the sides were filled (with random stuff that, granted, you mostly ignored) the whitespace wasn't an issue. With those things removed, the vacuousness is much more noticeable. Also, the color of the whitespace wasn't that ugly gray that screams out "I'm not doing anything! Fill me with something!". Unfortunately, reducing the window size doesn't help because the chat panel will now overlap it. Speaking of which (and this is a change that I'm actually quite upset about), it is now much more difficult to determine which contacts are actually online.
I stared at the panel for a bit, tried to figure out why the people at my contact queue didn't seem to have any green indicators (they were all offline), then tried to determine who _was_ online (difficult since the indicator just blends into the photo, and clicking on a user's profile doesn't always reveal their status). Looking again today, it's still difficult to determine who is actually online.
However, this is not the same view as the previous interface. This was the (very) old:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tUWGu4XpE2Q/UVj5I-YMCQI/AAAAAAAAAi...
And here is the most recent old:
http://cdn.dejanseo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Google...
and the new (single stream):
http://www.wojdylofinance.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Scr...
Since the sides were filled (with random stuff that, granted, you mostly ignored) the whitespace wasn't an issue. With those things removed, the vacuousness is much more noticeable. Also, the color of the whitespace wasn't that ugly gray that screams out "I'm not doing anything! Fill me with something!". Unfortunately, reducing the window size doesn't help because the chat panel will now overlap it. Speaking of which (and this is a change that I'm actually quite upset about), it is now much more difficult to determine which contacts are actually online.
I stared at the panel for a bit, tried to figure out why the people at my contact queue didn't seem to have any green indicators (they were all offline), then tried to determine who _was_ online (difficult since the indicator just blends into the photo, and clicking on a user's profile doesn't always reveal their status). Looking again today, it's still difficult to determine who is actually online.