My earlier entry on this topic got the most interest of anything that I've written on this as-yet young blog. Now that the Gmail vitriol has subsided somewhat, we are beginning to see some more rational evaluations of the future service.
The best so far seems to be David Pogue's evaluation in today's New York Times. His article was expanded on by Robert MacMillan in his Filter column in the Washington Post. Both are recommended to be read carefully. For an opposite view, read Walt Mossberg's piece in the Wall Street Journal.
Essentially, when EPIC went volcanic over Gmail, they once again proved their lack of credibility. The two articles bring out the salient points of Gmail:
- If Gmail creeps you out, just don't sign up.
- No human ever looks at the Gmail e-mail.
- Writing broad legislation to outlaw Gmail-type scanning would also ban children's pornography filters, spam filters, and possibly even things such as Outlook's Inbox Rules.
- Gmail does not turn you into an unpaid billboard for Yahoo or Microsoft Hotmail by stamping ads on at the bottom of every outgoing message.
I do not believe Google has gone over to the Dark Side and become Evil. Your mileage may vary.