Dan [09.29.06 11:44 AM]

In Google's defence, I actually quite like their user interface - I certainly wouldn't choose to use Yahoo!

  Colin [09.29.06 01:08 PM]

Here's a second value judgement: Yahoo's UI is not the best, unless the basis of comparison is the old Yahoo Mail UI.

You shouldn't care what I think about Yahoo's UI; I certainly don't agree with you, that's what makes a marketplace.

  Ewan [09.30.06 01:14 AM]

I didn't know about the new Yahoo interface - I've only got a Yahoo account for the messenger.

Rubbish. Slow and unresponsive, nowhere near as feature rich as Google. Google isn't perfect, mind, they could do so much more streamlining between all their products and refine each individual product too, but it's much quicker and better so far than anything else I've used. Perhaps it's the non-traditional organisation of mail in Google that people say is worse simply because they can't get used to it?

  Peter [10.01.06 04:02 AM]

There is one more thing in defense of Google's more-than-simple UI: When traveling in developing countries, where you sometimes don't get broadband but a slow connection via a 5-year-old cellphone, noting beats the low-fi Google interface. No ads, no graphics - just quick-to-load text. Not a very common use, obviously. A strength in that particular context nonetheless.

  Anna [10.01.06 12:37 PM]

I despise Yahoo's new interface. Yuck. I stopped using Yahoo in favor of Google entirely, partly because of it.

I have all my other accounts that I actually *use* forwarded to my google account so I can use that interface and avoid having to deal with the other bloated junk.

  Claus [10.02.06 04:06 AM]

Not only do I (like commenters above) disagree on the merits of Gmail vs. Yahoo mail - but Arrington also misses the very important point that you *can* in fact get GMail service for your own domain, i.e. your existing email.
It's still hosted by Google - but you have control and you can get all your data quite easily. As far as I'm concerned that completely takes the wind out of his commentary.

  Staffan [10.02.06 04:23 AM]

I'm a longtime user of both Yahoo and Google mail-coming from Unix mail clients before that and a couple of years with both Outlook and Mac clients. The new yahoo interface is playing catch-up with Gmail, but still the AJAX of Gmail is simpler and more intuitive. And the best part is the Google search integration, which remains speedier. Also the web 2.0 tool integration with e.g. Calendar is superior. For D@D there is maybe not any official support yet, but there are lots of "Gdisk" solutions for e.g. Firefox. Like Anna I also use forwarding when working with customers and use "reply-as" functionality.

  george [10.02.06 07:32 AM]

The good thing about Gmail is that you can send and receive from different email accounts in your Gmail (whether hosted by Gmail or not). Both Yahoo Mail (beta) and Gmail are feature rich, but they also have reached the overkill point for a lot of people. There's a cost to all the features they add: load time. It takes FOREVER to load Yahoo Mail (beta) and Gmail as well (Yahoo Mail beta is the worst). I'm going to start looking for a simple barebones webmail client that is fast and spam free--that's all I care about.