<p>David Braue and I went head-to-head this week in the Great Debate on the question, "Time to abandon Gmail?" I said "No". The audience and the moderator both agreed. It is not time to give up on Gmail. Why give up on something that works so well?</p><p>I'll tell you up front that I've used Gmail since it was in early beta. I received an invitation to use it from a friend of mine and I've never used anything else since making the change. That was almost ten years ago. Have I ever thought about switching from Gmail to something else? Yes. Have I ever found anything that has come close to delivering what I need from an email client? No. Gmail has everything, except folders, but that's not a deal breaker for me. It's just an inconvenient truth.</p><p>A lot of Gmail deserters left because of privacy concerns. But, FYI, it's no better on any other system. The reason is that law enforcement can require service providers to collect and turn over your private information. Just as your bank, the phone company, your doctor, your ISP, or anyone who has your personal information has to comply with the requests of law enforcement, Google must provide what's asked of it.</p><p>If you think you're entitled to privacy, you're wrong. Read the fine print.</p><p><a href="http://www.zdnet.com/time-to-bail-from-gmail-dont-be-silly-7000023269/">Keep reading...</a></p>