Gmail
Gmail is a free, advertising-supported email service provided by Google. Users may access Gmail as securewebmail, as well as via POP3 or IMAP4 protocols.Gmail initially started as an invitation-only beta release on April 1, 2004 and it became available to the general public on February 7, 2007, though still in beta status at that time.The service was upgraded from beta status on July 7, 2009, along with the rest of the Google Apps suite.
With an initial storage capacity offer of 1 GB per user, Gmail significantly increased the webmail standard for free storage from the 2 to 4 MB its competitors such as Hotmail offered at that time. Individual Gmail messages, including attachments, may be up to 25 MB. Gmail has a search-oriented interface and a "conversation view" similar to an Internet forum. Gmail is noted by web developers for its pioneering use of Ajax. Gmail runs on Google GFE/2.0 on Linux. As of June 2012, it was the most widely used web-based email provider with over 425 million active users worldwide. According to a 2014 estimate, 60% of mid-sized US companies were using Gmail. In May 2014, Gmail became the first app on the Google Play Store to hit one billion installations on Android devices.
Storage
Gmail was originally launched with 1 GB of storage space.
On April 1, 2005, the first anniversary of Gmail, the limit was doubled to 2 GB. Georges Harik, the product management director for Gmail, stated that Google would "keep giving people more space forever."
On April 24, 2012, Google announced the increase of free storage in Gmail from 7.5 GB to 10 GB ("and counting") as part of the launch of Google Drive.
On May 13, 2013 Google announced the overall merge of storage across Gmail, Google Drive, and Google+ Photos allowing users 15 GB of free storage among the three services.
Users can buy additional storage, shared among Gmail, Google Drive and Google+ Photos, through a monthly subscription plan. Storage of up to 15 GB is free, and paid plans are available for up to 300 TB.
Gmail Labs
The Gmail Labs feature, introduced on June 5, 2008, allows users to test new or experimental features of Gmail, such as bookmarking of important email messages or custom keyboard shortcuts. Users can enable or disable Labs features selectively and provide feedback about each of them. This allows Gmail engineers to obtain user input about new features to improve them and also to assess their popularity and whether they merit developing into regular Gmail features. All Labs features are experimental and are subject to termination at any time.
Tabbed inbox
In mid-2013, Google updated the Gmail inbox with tabs which allow the application to categorize the user's emails. The five tabs are: Primary, Social, Promotions, Updates, and Forums. These tabs also appear in Gmail's mobile version. In addition to customization options, the entire update can be disabled, allowing users to return to the traditional inbox structure.
Spam filter
Gmail's spam filtering features a community-driven system: when any user marks an email as spam, this provides information to help the system identify similar future messages for all Gmail users. Users may tune the system to allow mail marked as spam to be handled in particular ways.
Gmail Mobile
Gmail Mobile is available in more than 40 languages.It is a free service, developed to provide access to Gmail from mobile devices. Gmail Mobile offers many of the features] as Gmail delivered effectively to smaller, mobile screens.
On September 22, 2009 Google added push support to Gmail using Google Sync for iPhone and iPod Touch platforms.
Social network integration
On February 9, 2010, Google commenced its new social networking tool, Google Buzz, which integrated with Gmail allowing users to share links and media, as well as status updates. Buzz was launched with an automatic opt-in, causing an uproar in the Gmail community which led Google to quickly undo its initial moves.Buzz was discontinued in December 2011 in favor of Google+.
As of January 2014, Gmail allows users to send emails to people who have Google+ accounts, even if they don't have each other's email addresses.
Google Voice in Gmail chat
In August 2010, Google released a plugin that provides integrated telephone service within Gmail's Google Chat interface. This service initially lacked an official name, with Google referring to it as "Google Voice in Gmail chat" and also "Call Phones in Gmail", but is now called Google Video and Voice Chat. The service allows people to make free calls from their Gmail account to U.S. and Canada, at least through the end of 2012. Gmail account users can also call other countries on a fee basis. The service logged over 1 million calls in 24 hours on 26 August 2010.
Google Voice multi-way videoconferencing (with support for document sharing) is now integrated with Google Hangouts.
Gmail Search
Gmail incorporates a search bar for searching emails. The search bar can also search contacts, files stored in Google Drive, events from Google Calendar, andGoogle Sites. It can also make web searches via Google Search. On May 21, 2012, Gmail improved the search functionality to include auto-complete predictions from the user's emails. As with a web search, Gmail's search functionality does not support searching for word fragments (also known as 'substring search'), although it does perform partial-string stemming (e.g. searching for 'month' will turn up an email that includes the term 'months').
Language input
As of October 2013, Gmail supports handwriting input for 75 languages after Google introduced the Transliteration, Input Method Editor (IME), and Virtual Keyboard input tools to Gmail's settings. The update allows Gmail users to switch between over 100 virtual keyboards and transliterations that support languages such asHebrew, Thai, and Arabic.
On August 5, 2014, Gmail became the first major email provider to let users send and receive email from addresses with accent marks and letters from outside theLatin alphabet.
Money transfer and payment options
At the Google I/O 2013 conference, held on May 15, 2013, Google announced a feature that allows Gmail users to send money as email attachments via Google Wallet. Google then explained in a blog post:
Google planned to roll out the feature "over the coming months" following the announcement.
Prior to the launch of the email attachment feature, the corporation's plan to introduce a physical Google Wallet card was publicized in 2012,] but the project was abandoned due to logistical problems and following the departure of the head of the Wallet team in early May 2013. Following the Google I/O announcement, Google then reintroduced the card product in the US on November 21, 2013 as a debit card for Wallet accounts (the initial concept was a unifying card that could represent all of the user's credit cards)—the Digital Trends website described it as "essentially a standard debit card that you can use to pay with things using your Google balance." As of December 2013, the card was free to obtain and the shipping period was around 14 days.
Security
At one time Gmail used an unencrypted connection to retrieve user data, encrypting only the connection used for the login page. However, by replacing the URLhttp://mail.google.com/mail/ with https://mail.google.com/mail/, users were able to force Gmail to use a secure connection, reducing the risk of third-party eavesdropping on user information, such as emails and contacts, which are transmitted in plaintext as JavaScript data in the page source code. Starting in July 2008, it was possible to configure Gmail for HTTPS access only through the Settings - this prevented any insecure access via HTTP. POP3 and IMAP access uses Transport Layer Security, or TLS. At present Gmail now defaults to a secure HTTPS connection.
Although email clients such as Mozilla Thunderbird use TLS when sending email, it is not used when the email is sent from the Gmail servers to the destination domain's mail exchangers, unless supported, so at some stage the user's email message may still be transmitted in unencrypted plain text.
On March 20, 2014, Google announced the implementation of an enhancement of the overall security of Gmail in response to the Edward Snowden privacy revelations in 2013. An encrypted HTTPS connection will be used for the sending and receipt of all Gmail emails, and "every single email message you send or receive—100% of them—is encrypted while moving internally" through the corporation's systems.
Around 2007, Gmail had severe security issues which allowed a full account compromise via Cross-site scripting vulnerabilities affecting the google.com homepage or information disclosure through a file which was stored on Google's server and included all the Email contacts of the currently logged in user. The vulnerability was quickly patched after the initial disclosure on the Internet.
Gmail offers spam filtering: the system automatically deletes messages marked as spam after 30 days. Users can disable the spam-filtering system by creating a rule to make all messages skip the spam filter. POP3 users can only check the Spam folder manually via the web interface, as only emails sent to the Inbox can be retrieved via POP3. This is a technical limitation of POP3. In 2008, about 75% of email sent to Gmail accounts was filtered as spam.
IP addresses of webmail Gmail users are disguised in order to protect security, an early decision by Paul Buchheit.
Gmail automatically scans all incoming and outgoing e-mails for viruses in e-mail attachments. If a virus is found on an attachment the reader is trying to open, Gmail will try to remove the virus and open the cleaned attachment. Gmail also scans all outgoing attachments and will prevent the message from being sent if a virus is found. Gmail also does not allow users to send or receive executable files or archives containing executable files.
On June 5, 2012, a new security feature was introduced to protect users from state-sponsored attacks. Whenever Google analysis indicate that a government has attempted to compromise an account, Gmail will display a notice that reads "Warning: We believe state-sponsored attackers may be trying to compromise your account or computer."
Google may terminate a Gmail account after nine months of inactivity (as of 2008). Other webmail services have different, often shorter, times for marking an account as inactive. Yahoo! Mail deactivates dormant accounts after twelve months.
24-hour lockdowns
If an algorithm detects what Google calls "abnormal usage that may indicate that your account has been compromised", the account can be automatically locked down for between one minute and 24 hours, depending on the type of activity detected. Listed reasons for a lock-down include:
- "Receiving, deleting, or downloading large amounts of mail via POP or IMAP in a short period of time. If you're getting the error message, 'Lockdown in Sector 4,' you should be able to access Gmail again after waiting 24 hours."
- "Sending a large number of undeliverable messages (messages that bounce back)."
- "Using file-sharing or file-storage software, browser extensions, or third party software that automatically logs into your account."
- "Leaving multiple instances of Gmail open."
- "Browser-related issues. Please note that if you find your browser continually reloading while attempting to access your Inbox, it's probably a browser issue, and it may be necessary to clear your browser's cache and cookies."
Child pornography on Gmail
Google combats child pornography through Gmail's servers in conjunction with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) to find children suffering abuse around the world. In collaboration with the NCMEC, Google creates a database of child pornography pictures. Each one of the images is given a unique numerical number known as a hash. Google then scans Gmail looking for the unique hashes. When suspicious images are located Google reports to the authorities.
Interface
The Gmail user interface initially differed from other webmail systems with its focus on search and conversation threading of emails, grouping several messages between two or more people onto a single page, an approach that was later copied by its competitors. Gmail's user interface designer, Kevin Fox, intended users to feel as if they were always on one page and just changing things on that page, rather than having to navigate to other places. Gmail's interface also makes use of 'labels' (tags) – that replace the conventional folders and provide a more flexible methods of organizing email, filters for automatically organizing, deleting or forwarding incoming emails to other addresses, and importance makers for automatically marking messages as 'important'.
History
The idea for Gmail was pitched by Rajen Sheth during an interview with Google,and went on to be developed by Paul Buchheit several years before it was announced to the public. The project was known by the code name Caribou. Initially the email client was available for use only by Google employees internally. Gmail was announced to the public by Google on April 1, 2004 as a limited beta release and was made publicly available on February 7, 2007. Gmail exited from the beta status on July 7, 2009.
As of June 22, 2005, Gmail's canonical URI changed from http://gmail.google.com/gmail/ to http://mail.google.com/mail/. starting in December 2012, those who typed in the former URI were redirected to the latter. Gmail added IMAP support on October 24, 2007.
Code changes
Gmail's interface was rewritten in the middle of 2007 and released to users starting on October 29, 2007. The new version had a redesigned contacts section, quick contacts box and chat popups, which were added to names in the message list as well as the contact list. The contacts application is integrated into other Google services, such as Google Docs. Users granted access to the new version were given a link at the top-right corner which read "Newer Version". As of December 2007, most new registrations in English (US) along with most pre-existing accounts are given the new interface by default when supported.
These coding changes mean that only users of Internet Explorer 7, Firefox 2, Google Chrome and Safari 3.0 (or more recent versions) are officially supported by Gmail and can fully use the new code. Opera 9.5 and more recent versions are not officially tested but are expected to "work with all of Gmail's features". Internet Explorer 5.5+, Netscape 7.1+, Mozilla 1.4+, Firefox 0.8, Safari 1.3 and some other browsers will give limited functionality. Other browsers may be redirected to the basic-HTML-only version of Gmail.
During the week of January 18, 2008, Google released an update that changed the way Gmail loads JavaScript. This caused the failure of some third-party extensions.
On November 1, 2011, Google rolled out another redesign of its interface that "simplified" the look of Gmail into a more minimalist design to provide a more consistent look throughout its products and services as part of an overall design change. Users were able to preview the new interface design and beta-test for months prior to the official release as well as revert to the old interface until 27 March 2012, when Google discontinued the ability to revert.
On 14 September 2012, Google announced that it would discontinue Internet Explorer 8 support for Gmail and other Google Apps on November 15, 2012, a few weeks after the launch of Internet Explorer 10.
Gmail was one of the first Google projects to begin using Closure Library, part of Closure Tools, which were later open sourced. Much of the core library was developed concurrently with the 2008 update.
Browser support
Desktop
Gmail's "basic HTML" version will work on almost all browsers. The modern AJAX version is officially supported in the current and prior major releases of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari on a rolling basis.
Over the years, many officially unsupported browsers were able to use the AJAX interface using User agent spoofing or URL manipulation to trick Gmail into providing them with the AJAX version of the site. However, as the Gmail interface has become more advanced, it has become much harder to find alternatives that fully support the site's features.
Gmail also offers a "Basic HTML view" which allows users to access Gmail from almost any computer running browsers that do not fully support the more advanced features (such as Internet Explorer 4.0+, Netscape 4.07+ or Opera 6.03+) or running browsers with JavaScript disabled.
Mobile
Gmail has native applications for Apple's iOS devices (including iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch) and for Google's Android devices. All other devices must use the Gmail Mobile web interface or a different email technology such as POP3 or IMAP.
To access Gmail on mobile browsers, the browser must be XHTML compliant, have a URL length of 2000 bytes and allow redirects of 10. Besides, the network must allow cookies and secure SSL traffic.
A number of third party client applications for Gmail on mobile devices are available from the App Store and Google Play Store.
In 2014, Google launched Inbox, an email application developed by the Gmail team.
Version 5.0 of Gmail for Android, released in November 2014, added support for sending and receiving email from non-Gmail addresses (including Yahoo! Mail andOutlook.com) through POP3 or IMAP.
Language support
The Gmail interface currently supports 52 languages, which include most of the US English features, including: Arabic,Bulgarian, Catalan, Chinese (simplified), Chinese (traditional), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English (UK), English (US), Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Gujarati, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Italian,Japanese, Kannada, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Malay, Malayalam, Marathi, Norwegian (Bokmål), Oriya, Polish,Punjabi, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Sinhala, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish,Swedish, Tagalog (Filipino), Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu and Vietnamese.
Technical limitations
Gmail does not allow users to send or receive executable files or archives containing executable files if it recognizes the file extension as one used for executable files or archives.
By design, Gmail does not deliver all of a user's emails. When downloading mail through POP or IMAP access, Gmail fails to deliver messages that users have sent to themselves if the client has a copy of it already. It also does not deliver to a user's inbox (via any access interface) those messages that users have sent tomailing lists and which they might expect to receive back via the mailing list.
Gmail normally sorts email only by conversations (threads), which can be a problem for large conversations. For example, if a user sends a query to a large group of people, all of the responses are stored in a single conversation that is impossible to break apart. There is no way to search for responses from one user without getting the entire conversation. While deletion of individual emails is possible, most operations, such as archiving and labeling, can be performed only on whole conversations. Conversations cannot be split up or combined. As a result of complaints from some users, Google made conversation view optional starting September 29, 2010, but there is currently no method to split individual conversations.
Outages
Gmail has been unavailable on several occasions. On February 24, 2009, the Gmail service was offline for 2 hours and 30 minutes, preventing millions of users from accessing their accounts. People who rely entirely on Gmail for business purposes complained about these outages. Another outage occurred on September 1, 2009. Later that day, a Google vice president, Ben Treynor, explained that the problem, which ultimately resulted in about 100 minutes of outage, was caused by overloaded routers, triggered by a routine configuration change which added more router load than expected. Treynor wrote, "Gmail remains more than 99.9% available to all users, and we're committed to keeping events like today's notable for their rarity."
In 2009, Google continued to experience outages across its network, leaving users without access to their email, calendars, and virtual files.
Key outage dates include:
| Date | Outage details | Affected users |
|---|---|---|
| January 24, 2014 | Gmail widespread outage. | Global outage that lasted approximately 50 minutes for 10 percent of users. Google apologized for the outage, which, it reported, lasted 25 to 55 minutes and affected as many as 10% of users. |
| September 23, 2013 | Gmail outage | "less than 50 percent" |
| May 2, 8 and 13, 2013 | Users in India, Middle East and South East Asia faced Gmail outage with an error 502 | |
| April 17, 2012 | Gmail outage | 5.25 million |
| February 27/28, 2011 | Gmail outage. Gmail users after signing in found their Gmail inbox, contact empty. | 1.5 million |
| September 24, 2009 | Gmail outage. Gmail accounts were unavailable, users could not access their accounts. | Gmail did not mention exact number, in their blog they posted a 'small subset of users' were affected with this outage. |
| September 1, 2009 | Gmail outage | |
| May 14, 2009 | Google network outage. For some users Gmail became extremely slow. In some cases, Google services were reported to have completely stopped working. | |
| March 9, 2009 | Gmail outage | |
| August 7, 2008 | Gmail and Google Apps outage. Accounts affected by a 502 error on login. |
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