g-mail

[limbic_diver]

can someone tell me if there are advantages to using gmail as opposed to hotmail or any other web-based e-mail server?

[bad_brain]

well, the space you get on gmail for free would cost money on hotmail and many other providers, and on hotmail you don't have pop3 access (at least not on free accounts). I use my gmail account almost never (own mail servers,hehe...) and when I last logged in all old mails were still on there, on hotmail the account is kinda semi-closed when you havn't logged in for 30 days (you can reactivate the account, but stored messages are gone).

[z3mwaz]

i was lookin around and decided to look at canada's yahoo site,
i signed up for an e-mail account, and what do you know,
the have pop3 access, oh yeah.
i had a hotmail account but they want you to pay for pop3 access, and that sux
but g-mail does a good job as a wab based mail service, (from what my brother told me)

[pseudo_opcode]

space is a big plus no doubt.. i also feel that gmail is faster than hotmail or yahoo. i mean the browsing is fast!! Has almost all the features. The inbox space is ever increasing(it started with 1gb and ever expanding).. in my personal opinion its the best free service...

[DNR]

not sure about the other email services, but I look for the following;

1. a choice of text-only email - they filter out all the active scripting in HTML.
2. Options to view email headers so you can trace or verify your emails
3. secure storage, a company like google is big enough to have a network security team on staff. Email is too personal to pick a cheap, n00b company to handle it.
4. antivirus, and spam filters. Also have antivirus on your computer to double scan your email files. Spam? You want it?
5. Again, a company with secure servers. I remember when I couldn't get email in the old days because the email server was DoS'ed or down because of an exploit. I want my f'ing email now.

DNR