Gmail review | A Whole Lotta Nothing

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Gmail review

Gmail review 04/11/2004 05:14 PM

I don't know if it's due to the increased pressure on spammers or what, but since I put the post up Friday night begging for spam I've only gotten one spam email. It showed up about 5 hours after the post was up and I haven't gotten anything since. It didn't flag it as spam, which I assume is a feature Google will be developing more as time goes on (or perhaps auto-recognition of spam isn't turned on yet). A lot of friends have imported spam to see if gmail would auto-flag it and no one seems to have tripped any spam filters yet. Oh, the spam was also in Chinese, which gmail didn't do such a hot job displaying, but I'm sure they're still working the unicode bugs out in the beta.

update: apparently the spam filters are turned on and working well, because checking my empty spam folder this sunday afternoon, I found three Nigerian 419 scams, automatically filtered into the spam folder. Cool!

I can say that after using gmail for a few days I finally get what everyone is raving about. On first glance there's nothing impressive there. To see what it is capable of doing well, you have to use it: get a few email discussions going with folks and the more you use it the more obvious the benefits become. I bet you could say the same thing about blogging. Show a blog or the Blogger.com app to someone that has never seen it or heard of blogging. I'm sure they'd dismiss it as nothing special, one page being some sort of boring public diary, while the app itself is just a giant form and a button marked "post and publish", whatever that means.

Gmail is pretty incredible about tracking discussions. I've tried several email packages that offer threading and gmail's is simpler and more straightforward. It automatically trims replies and shows email threads as top-down discussions, so it's easy to keep track of where people are in a discussion. Replying to email is really easy, you just start typing in the textarea below a message and it automatically starts a response.

Gmail relies on the universal inbox with good searching and flags. A lot of email power users I know have no filters of any kind, prefering everything to drop into the inbox with custom quick searches to find stuff and generous use of the flag message command. It takes a little getting used to if you've been using filters for a long time.

Everyone's raving about the keyboard shortcuts, but I haven't gotten to use them much. I assume that's a power user feature I'll pick up eventually. So far I've been impressed by email address auto-completion. That's something I've never seen in a web app before and it's quite a time-saver. As I get more familiar with it, I hope to be able to navigate all my mail with simple keystrokes.

I think Google's really got something amazing here. It's a useful app that feels almost like desktop software, the storage means you never have to delete anything, and the simple flags and searching in a threaded inbox is both a power users and new users dream setup. As this develops along, I just might convert over to it from pop and imap based accounts.

Up close review of GMail

Up close review of GMail 04/20/2004 12:34 PM
Here's a review of Google's Gmail, written by a Beta user.

This is the time to say that for Gmail you are not senders of electronic messages, you are "conversers." For this reason, when you delete a message, Gmail will tell you, "The conversation has been moved to the trash."

This is about more than semantics. If, in Hotmail for example, you send four emails to four friends, asking them their opinion about a certain restaurant, every answer comes in as a separate email. Google thinks this is a mistake. "It's a conversation," the service maintains, and it put all the answers together under one roof - the "conversation." Thus, instead of four answers, you'll get one answer containing the messages from each friend who responded to your question.

Link (via Interesting People)

First Google Gmail Review

First Google Gmail Review 04/13/2004 03:05 AM
I4U Apr 13 2004 7:23AM GMT

Review: Google's Gmail Web E-mail
Service

Review: Google's Gmail Web E-mail
Service 07/07/2004 01:16 PM
ABCNEWS.com Jul 7 2004 5:15PM GMT

A Whole Lotta Nothing

A Whole Lotta Nothing 03/13/2003 06:16 PM
interesting things with TrackBack .. follow Matt's instructions .. A Whole Lotta Nothing .. Trackbacks in Winamp .. Winamp

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Dear Overhaulin | A Whole Lotta Nothing

Dear Overhaulin | A Whole Lotta Nothing 05/20/2004 02:26 AM
Matt's talking about people confusing blog posts for something "Official" .. the "i'm feeling lucky" effect .. Dear Overhaulin'

a.wholelottanothing.org/archives.blah/007877
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A Whole Lotta Nothing: Since U Been
Corporate Slides

A Whole Lotta Nothing: Since U Been
Corporate Slides 03/29/2005 04:27 AM
PowerPoint Presentation .. pop song .. via

a.wholelottanothing.org/2005/03/since_u_been_co.html
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All Hail Bluetooth | A Whole Lotta
Features

All Hail Bluetooth | A Whole Lotta
Features 04/14/2004 06:39 PM
How to connect to the internet from anywhere using your bluetooth phone and a laptop .. Hey everyone! I've got the internet in my pants! .. Haughey explains the benefits of Bluetooth .. All Hail Bluetooth .. succes stories

a.wholelottanothing.org/features.blah/entry/007805
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MeFi, Megnut and Whole Lotta Nothing
status

MeFi, Megnut and Whole Lotta Nothing
status 02/15/2004 06:22 PM
MeFi, Megnut and A Whole Lotta Nothing have been offline for a couple days. Here's why:

People have been asking (not really), so I thought I'd let you know that MetaFilter, Megnut, and A Whole Lotta Nothing are down because of a bad computer fan. No ETA as of yet on when the box will be back up. Matt Haughey was unavailable for comment due to laziness on my part, but if he were available, he'd probably say something like, "you tell those ungrateful bastards that I'll order that new fan when I'm damn good and ready."

Link

Social Software ideas A Whole Lotta
Features

Social Software ideas A Whole Lotta
Features 12/31/2003 05:00 AM
folks

a.wholelottanothing.org/features.blah/entry/007633
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Gmail: Google releases Gmail Notifier

Gmail: Google releases Gmail Notifier 08/23/2004 08:48 AM
Tech-Recipes Aug 23 2004 1:25PM GMT

Wishlist: the million monkeys at a
million typewriters plugin | A Whole
Lotta Nothing

Wishlist: the million monkeys at a
million typewriters plugin | A Whole
Lotta Nothing 07/16/2004 11:53 AM
Wishlist: the million monkeys at a million typewriters plugin A Whole Lotta Nothing .. matt wants a public editing of blog posts .. a.wholelottanothing.org

a.wholelottanothing.org/archives.blah/007942
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Anti-Gmail Bill Now Allows Gmail

Anti-Gmail Bill Now Allows Gmail 05/26/2004 01:35 PM
Last month there was a lot of talk about the somewhat clueless move by a California politician to create a law that would ban Google's Gmail offering, despite the fact that it was completely optional to use. It appears that enough people (probably including those at Google itself) sat down with State Senator Liz Figueroa to explain how email works, and have convinced her to tone down the bill so that it now allows Gmail. That's right, the anti-Gmail bill now has loopholes that specifically allow Gmail. In other words, Senator Figueroa seems to have realized just how pointless the bill was in the first place and is trying to save face by adjusting it so that it still seems to have a purpose: banning a bunch of things that no one was doing, like having humans read the content of your emails to put in advertising.

Hey, nice review , why dont you review
T630 and k700i the latest offering from
SE

Hey, nice review , why dont you review
T630 and k700i the latest offering from
SE 07/08/2004 01:49 AM
TechTree Jul 8 2004 5:42AM GMT

ZH2004-02SA (security advisory): PJ CGI
Neo review (NeoBoard review) Remote
arbitrary file retrieving

ZH2004-02SA (security advisory): PJ CGI
Neo review (NeoBoard review) Remote
arbitrary file retrieving 01/01/2005 04:55 AM
ZetaLabs (Jan 29 2004)

Waterfield Mac Mini SleeveCase Review +
VertiGo and Cablebuddy Review

Waterfield Mac Mini SleeveCase Review +
VertiGo and Cablebuddy Review 04/06/2005 02:46 PM
Waterfield Bags launched a SleeveCase designed specifically for the Mac Mini within weeks of the official Apple announcement. In its default configuration as I received it, the SleeveCase is merely what it claims to be, a case into which a Mac Mini will fit. However, Waterfield offers a configuration with a detachable shoulder strap. (read the review) This makes it very comparable to the eM2 bag we reviewed a few weeks ago...

Review: Review: XAMPP--An Apache Server
Stack

Review: Review: XAMPP--An Apache Server
Stack 06/17/2005 04:24 PM
"The cornerstone of most open source application serving is the ubiquitous LAMP (Linux Apache MySQL PHP/Python/Perl) stack. Yet it's not always as easy as you'd expect to get all the elements of the stack properly installed and working together. Enter XAMPP..."

Review: Review: iPod Camera Connector

Review: Review: iPod Camera Connector 03/31/2005 05:56 PM
The iPod Camera Connector finally lets you download and immediately view your pictures on an iPod photo. Handy though it is, it will tax your iPod’s battery.

Do we still need DDR SDRAM? Review @
HardwareOC Review

Do we still need DDR SDRAM? Review @
HardwareOC Review 09/16/2004 11:07 AM

About Gmail

About Gmail 04/16/2004 06:11 AM
Google replies: A few words about privacy and Gmail .. They've gone and updated their policy .. clarified its policies .. Google

gmail.google.com/gmail/help/more.html
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WWW-GMail-0.01

WWW-GMail-0.01 07/12/2004 05:31 AM

Pop goes the Gmail

Pop goes the Gmail 06/15/2004 06:00 PM
Ain't this grand? Pop Goes the Gmail is a program that sits between the http://gmail.com web server and your email client, converting messages from web format into POP3 format that a program such as Outlook Express or Thunderbird can understand.

Welcome to Gmail

Welcome to Gmail 06/15/2004 10:19 AM
Gmail, the free email service from Google .. communicate with friends and loved ones .. free Web-based e-mail .. Google Mail is Coming .. kevin@gmail.com .. my gmail moment .. GoogleMail .. celui-l .. GMail

gmail.com
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Gmail anyone?

Gmail anyone? 07/22/2004 08:16 PM
Want a Gmail account? I've got 5 invites for the first 5 comments in this thread.... (16 words)

Gmail Goes to 1TB!

Gmail Goes to 1TB! 05/18/2004 04:38 PM
Apparently "kicking it up a notch", Gmail now indicates that users have a full terabyte of disk space! Mine says: > You are currently using 437 MB (0%) of your 1000000 MB. Is this a mistake or a genius leapfrogging of their competitors? (You've got to imagine that few, if any, users will go past 1GB making this mostly a marketing gimmick.) [Dave Winer sees the same thing (screenshot)](http://www.scripting.com/images/archiveScriptingCom/2004 /05/18/terabyte.gif). Thanks to Logan Ingalls for the original tip....

Gmail the Gmail what what the Gmail

Gmail the Gmail what what the Gmail 06/14/2004 09:05 PM
Yeah, so I <3 Gmail. I have one more invite left. I invited two friends, who I knew really needed...

Oh gee, Gmail

Oh gee, Gmail 06/03/2004 08:32 PM
USA Today Jun 4 2004 0:45AM GMT

Anyone for Gmail?

Anyone for Gmail? 06/14/2004 06:10 PM

So anyway, I signed up for Gmail a while back and basically I don't really use it even though it's pretty well assembled and has some nice features and now I've been given three invitations but everyone who I know who wants an account already has one. I imagine the big craze for offering people enormous gifts and proposing amorous liasons in exchange for One Gigabyte of Full-On E-mail Pleasure has passed, but if you can think of a reason why I should invite you rather than just making three new accounts with funny names, then post a comment below or chuck me an e-mail to my fairly guessable normal e-mail address (hint: it starts tom@) and I'll see what I can do...

Read the comments

gmail, anyone?

gmail, anyone? 05/24/2004 01:19 AM
Quoted from Electrolite: Ahem. Apropos of nothing, wouldn't a married pair of busy book editors and bloggers who practically live...

Gmail by any other name?

Gmail by any other name? 08/13/2004 06:11 PM
Google risks losing trademark rights to the name of its e-mail service, as Patent Office considers other applications.

"Gmail"

"Gmail" 04/25/2004 08:30 AM

More on 2GB Gmail

More on 2GB Gmail 04/03/2005 07:39 PM
TechSpot Apr 3 2005 11:25PM GMT

"Getting More Out Of Gmail"

"Getting More Out Of Gmail" 06/27/2004 02:39 PM

The Gmail I Know

The Gmail I Know 04/13/2004 03:16 AM
I've read about Mark's dream of Gmail - have read of his recent bout of sleeplessness and his frustration. I've read, with particular interest, of his nightmare melange of math martyr monkeys which is a good tongue twister, to be sure. Interestingly, my dreams (were I home long enough to dream) would be the same. The same golden staircase. The same math. The same hard-to-define

Get Gmail!

Get Gmail! 03/17/2005 04:26 AM
It seems a lot of people are getting this message underneath the Google search box: New! Get Gmail - Google's free email service with 1000 MB of space. The link is to a page that says: Since we launched Gmail in April 2004, we've been focused on improving the service, relying on our users to spread the word and invite others to try it out. The response has been great, and now we're ready for some more Gmail users. [...] As we make room for more Gmail users, we want to first extend invitations to Google users. We're still working to make Gmail better, so for now, we're just inviting a small number at random. Looks like that's you! We're really excited to share Gmail with you and we hope you like it....

You've got Gmail!

You've got Gmail! 09/17/2004 04:08 AM
Gmail checking through Trillian (plugin) "You've Got Gmail" is a Gmail notifier plugin for Trillian Pro. I thought this was a pretty nifty plugin for all the gmailers out there - go see!

EFF on Gmail

EFF on Gmail 04/10/2004 03:46 AM
On EFF's Deep Links blog, some preliminary analysis of Google's Gmail terms-of-service:

"People are entitled to know what kind of information Google will pull from email, whether or not it logs this information, and for how long," said EFF's Kevin Bankston. "Can your Gmail address or any other personal identifier be linked to those logs, or to your Google search history?"

"Gmail's privacy policy states that 'Google welcomes feedback on this document and policy as the Gmail service is currently in an early testing stage.' While that's a nice sentiment, we can't give meaningful feedback until we have all the facts."

The remedy to the situation is obvious: Google needs to let us all know precisely what the privacy/convenience trade-off is for using Gmail, and soon.

Link< /a> (Thanks, Inder!)

GMail

GMail 04/09/2004 03:54 PM
Gmail: Google does email. CNET - NYTimes...

Getting your gmail on

Getting your gmail on 06/17/2004 07:39 PM

Is there any way to specify your default email app as a website in a Windows XP system? Currently, my office workstation has an ancient copy of Eudora I haven't used in years, but whenever I need to email someone from my PC (I do all my email on a powerbook), I have to copy/paste addresses by hand and use my mac or use Gmail.

It seems like there should be a way to tell firefox my default email app isn't an app, but is instead gmail.google.com. Anyone that knows of a way can have an invite to gmail. Or anyone that just wants an invite can also email me and we can have this problem together. Just ping me and I'll invite you in.

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Gmail review | A Whole Lotta Nothing

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