On April 16th, Google apparently updated their ToS.

Old: http://blogoscoped.com/files/google-old-terms-2007.html
New: http://www.google.com/accounts/TOS?loc=US

Instead of a mere revision this is a complete extended overhaul of the original terms. There's not much real implications here for everyday usage, e.g. of course Google has the right to shut down Gmail today without prior notice (and you'll lose all your mails), but it's just unlikely they will...

*"4.3 As part of this continuing innovation, you acknowledge and agree that Google may stop (permanently or temporarily) providing the Services (or any features within the Services) to you or to users generally at Google’s sole discretion, without prior notice to you."

[Thanks JohnMu!]

so does that bring closure to the "will" vs "may" term used in gmail and googlmail TOS's ??

Well if they shutdown Gmail... then I will have to stop using email go back to paper letter writing. Do you know of any other alternative? :-

Don't they have to post notices and let users know they changed it?

What kind of sneaky way is this?

From the old TOS:

<< We reserve the right to modify these Terms of Service from time to time without notice. Please review these Terms of Service from time to time so that you will be apprised of any changes. >>

The basic ideas are highlighted here:
http://www.google.com/accounts/tos/highlights/tos-us-en-h.html

Wow. They discontinued Google Answers and the Google API without further notice, why not GMail in the future. This comes while I am pondering to switching completely to GMail. Well I will think a little longer.

Tadeusz: Google did give notice in advance of shutting down GA.

Two days.

But at least the questions and answers are still online.

Why shut down Gmail. Its one of there biggest revenue generators.

James, I don't think we know that.

With roughly 50 million users worldwide we can safely say its up there with Orkut for high revenue generation anfter adsense.

Gmail a big revenue generator? Like Sohil says, we don't know that.

People click the ads on search result pages because they're looking for something. I'm sure I've never clicked on a Gmail ad, because the content I'm looking for is already being presented to me.

Roger: Two days "in advance" does not really count does it?
James: Not now, but who knows in two or five years? Yahoo already offers more (unlimited space). Maybe mail doesn't pay as well as search? Personally I can not imagine many people clicking ads instead of reading their mails. While searchers really look for stuff mail users do not want do be distracted.

Stop saying Google will shut down Gmail. Some people might believe you. Gmail is probably the second most successful Google service and a very good reason to stay logged in.

I also think Google won't shut down Gmail, in fact that was my whole point above: because it'd be so completely unlikely it illustrates that the ToS doesn't have any real-world implications to usage of Google tools for most of us.

Ionut: Stop your disrespectful mode of speech.
Anybody using Google or the Internet should be aware that being dependent on a service that can be stopped at any time is risky.
Google can also make GMail a premium service after the winning spree is over. As someone who has survived the new economy I am not as naive as you suggest the GMail users should behave.