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Offline Gmail: a Google FAIL
- TAGS:enterprise, Gears, Gmail, GOOG, Google, Google Apps, Google Gears, HTML5, Insider Content, offline, Web applications, web apps
- IT TOPICS:Applications, Cloud Computing, Desktop Apps, Enterprise Apps, Mobile, Mobile Apps, Networking, Web Apps
By Richi Jennings (@richi 
) - September 1, 2011.
Google has re-introduced its offline functionality for Gmail and Google Apps. And, oh boy, it's a mess. I seem to be saying this a lot recently, but it's as if Google has stopped caring about what its users actually need. Instead, it's running headlong into a project that doesn't have user requirements at its heart. Allow me to explain, in The Long View...
A few months ago, Google withdrew its offline support for Gmail. The reasoning given was that it relied on a plugin called Google Gears, which Google had stopped supporting. The idea was that offline Gmail would now be supported using HTML5's Web Storage interface.
The wrinkle was that the code to use the new method wasn't quite ready, but we were faithfully promised that we'd see the feature re-appear in Gmail in a few months. Well, that time has come, but the result ain't pretty.
Yes, I have a bone to pick with Google today.The company's really messed this up. Why do I say that? Read on for my top six reasons...
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