Source: Server Error when trying to access Gmail

It’s days like today when you start to appreciate the value of having your own email server that isn’t dependent on that evil cloud computing some folks talk about.

Millions of business and consumer users of Google’s e-mail service were hit by an outage on Tuesday. The service went offline at 0930 GMT with Google saying it was “working hard to resolve this problem”. More than 113 million people use Google mail worldwide, according to comScore.
Source: BBC News

So, do you have any information stored in Gmail you can’t access from anywhere else? What steps will you take to mirror that information elsewhere? While Richard Stallman probably didn’t mean it just this way (but he may have, that’s up to interpretation), his point is valid…especially right now:

Stallman says cloud computing forces people to hand over control of their information to a third party. His objections echo his longstanding belief in non-proprietary software. “One reason you should not use Web applications to do your computing is that you lose control,” he said. “It’s just as bad as using a proprietary program.

“Do your own computing on your own computer with your copy of a freedom-respecting program. If you use a proprietary program or somebody else’s Web server, you’re defenseless. You’re putty in the hands of whoever developed that software,” he said.
Source: Read Cnet article

Putty. In. Google’s. Hands. I wonder how school districts who are using GoogleApps are affected by this outage. It’s still early morning in Texas, but if I’m up, there must be others who wish they could access their email, calendars and get to working!

Ok. So when is Gmail coming back up?

Update: 5:42 AM (Central Time in Texas!)
Gmail is now back up. Darn, that inconvenienced for about 40 minutes. Ok, forget what Stallman said, isn’t Gmail great? ;->

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