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Because GMail users have different values than the OP does, and it's morally presumptuous to assume everyone makes the same tradeoffs the OP does.

Why their choices don't make sense to him is because he hasn't taken the time to understand the value systems of GMail users.

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This point can't be made often enough. I can't say that I think there are "too many" (or even "an increasing number") of posts on HN that seem to assume that everyone here has precisely the same set of (often extreme) values, but these kinds of presumptuous, somewhat self-righteous postings do pop up from time to time, and this is precisely the reaction I always have. The definition of "self-respecting hacker" does, after all, probably very between self-respecting hackers.

I agree. His post smacks of the same attitude that many people (negatively) attribute to engineers in general. The, "this is how I do it, so this is how everyone should be doing it," attitude.

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