Adam Glauser wrote:
Google does provide both POP3 and IMAP access to your mailbox. There
are lots of reasons not to use GMail (or other Google apps), but "I'm
stuck using their web interface" isn't really a strong one.
Adam:
It had been long enough since I last looked that I see it has
changed significantly. It no longer seems to be as questionable as
it was. Their current docs on how to configure are a full version
behind for Thunderbird, but there were enough similarities that I
could infer the current configuration for IMAP. (The [Gmail] option
in Tbird assumes POP, so I manually configured an IMAP setup.)
Thanks for making me look again.
Personally, I'm most concerned about the privacy implications of GMail,
though not enough to bite the bullet and start paying for a less
intrusive service or hosting my own.
For my stuff, I'm no more concerned about privacy than I am for
anything else I send outside of whatever network I'm attached to.
Privacy is less of a personal concern than simple security, in the
sense that I feel secure that an item will be available to me when I
want it to be available. I'm less concerned about security in the
sense of it being locked from others.
But again, this is personal e-mail, not business.
For business, simple business deal-making can need to be secure in
the fullest senses. A preliminary discussion of a partnership on a
future project can sink both companies if info gets out too soon.
There are far too many concerns.
And when the _hosting_ service is in the same industry, the
potential for abuse is enormous. Google, Yahoo, whoever, have little
corporate interests in, e.g., coffee-pot makers and their dealings
involving coffee-filter suppliers; but they _might_ want to know
about web-hosting concepts.
(Actually, I've always felt that the U.S. Postal Service should
provide e-mail and "Post Office Protocol" service, as well as the
delivery/routing backbone. As much as I oppose governmental
infringement upon personal affairs, I'd still like to see it as an
available option for everybody/anybody. It's not like they
can't/won't do it anyway.)
Tom Liotta
midrange.com
