Re: One small step for mankind...
AC "you're beholden to Google, Microsoft, or whatever."
Then set-up your own email server with Raspberry Pi or similar. But you'd better disconnect from the Internet, because it you're that paranoid about gmail, there's so much worse to worry about. This is just opinion.
"ISP mail providers frequently provide interfaces not dependent on browsers"
You mean the POP3 & IMAP thingies? Essentially *all* the email providers provide those interfaces for your non-browser email client to use. *All* of them. This is demonstrable fact, that I would have thought that everybody would have known by now.
Google: gmail pop3 OR hotmail pop3.
Here's the summary. Those using their ISP as their email domain have a worse life, in all respects, than those that just use one of the non-ISP options. It affects every aspect of their life, right down to the amount of rain while they're on vacation. They've chained themselves to their ISP, and they end up posting rants like:
"I keep asking why the FCC doesn't enforce all consumer protection laws and why Comcast Cable is allowed to globally block legitimate international e-mail being sent to U.S. Comcast customers and the FCC and FTC refuse to answer why."
Why anyone would put themselves through this nonsense is beyond me...
Biting the hand that feeds IT
