IMAP Gmail Reinforcing the Drive to Web-based Productivity Applications
I've noted in the past that I'm trying to move to browser-based productivity tools, and Google's recent announcement in support of IMAP access for Gmail just gave me a little shove.
Historically I'm a POP3 kind of guy, preferring to download all messages from my "external" e-mail accounts to my hard drive. In retrospect, this is a little bit inconsistent with my attitude towards my e-mail at work; over the years, I have rarely processed e-mail off-line, even when my employer's messaging infrastructure was based on Lotus Notes.
I learned this morning that this is a good description of the IMAP world; messages stay on the server, and the <opinion>significant breakthrough</opinion> that Google has accomplished is that they've translated GMail labels (tags) to folders in my Thunderbird client.
The benefit, of course, is that I can access all of my messages - including the ones filed in folders - from any browser (libraries, kiosks [trade shows], work, home, my Blackberry, etc.). I must admit - part of me is still suspicious of things like Google documents, Mindmeister, really any web-based application, because the data is not necessarily in my control (private,secure- the cynical conspiracy theorist in me), and I continue to be dependent on my ability to connect. However, I guess I'm getting practical in my old age - it's extremely rare that I'll I open up the notebook outside of the reach of an open AP.
Still, I don't use Gmail as my "primary" personal mail account, and I have great confidence in my ISP. No more excuses - it's about time I took yet another non-trivial, immersive step into web-based applications. Everyone in corporate IT - staff all the way up to the CIO - should aggressively experiment with this stuff. Sooner or later, our business peers will succumb to the hype and start asking why we can't use it - better have a ready answer, based on experience (not opinion), if you wantto remain relevant.
See also ...
- What Gmail IMAP Means for You (and Your iPhone) (LifeHacker)
- Turn Thunderbird into the Ultimate Gmail IMAP Client (LifeHacker)
Previously ...
- Web-based Applications Crawling To Respectability April 12, 2007
- Corporate Web 2.0 is Spreading - Here comes the Blog May 15, 2007
- Alternative KM Tools (1 of 3) September 05, 2007
- Alternative KM Tools (2 of 3) September 11, 2007
- Alternative KM Tools (3 of 3) September 25, 2007
Technorati Tags: blackberry, blog, business value, gmail, google, knowledge management, mind mapping, productivity, tech management, Web 2.0
posted by James P. MacLennan at 12:14 PM
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