To those who use Gmail, it’s now possible to have secure, encrypted communication between your computer’s browser and your Gmail server.
That changes http:// to https:// and, better yet, it’s free.
See your Gmail settings, for details.
Cool. I’ll try it.
Update:
With thanks to WIRED, and the monkey_bites blog, here’s a non-techie, plain language explanation of Why You Should Turn Gmail’s SSL Feature On Now.
In particular, if you have Gmail, it seems there’s a reason to update your Gmail security at this time, as the article explains.
Don’t get sniffed!
thanks!
Ummm…can someone explain what exactly this means? Is it something beneficial for me, so I really should do it?
No, I have not found my clue yet, obviously 
@ izz
Basically, this has to do with more secure e-mail, and in this case it applies to the e-mail system known as Gmail. If you have Gmail, then this update is for you.
Beyond that, however, I’d suggest reading the WIRED article, as above, anyway, as the security mentioned really applies to all e-mail systems.
That is, Gmail now has a great security feature which may not be available on other e-mail systems.
The news gets better, as Gmail is available for free as a download.
just do it… 
If Gmail wasn’t sending yer login & password, unsecured, every time ya sent something to it in the 1st place then this “great security feature which may not be available on other e-mail systems” wouldn’t be needed.
It’s only a side benefit that sniffers will no longer be able to read yer mail.
Yes, but, at least Gmail now offers it, and otherwise a sniffer perhaps could access the whole of an e-mail account, including whatever personal information could be there, including mine, his, and theirs, or of whomever.
Furthermore, perhaps not all e-mail systems currently have such security.
the sniffer would be able to get yer Google name & password
this would allow it the access whatever you have stored there & whatever Google knows about you.
They are patching a gapping hole that they made.
It is not common. 
Not anymore! Gmail login and password are now via SSL secure, https:// URL.
Granted, the argument goes that Google deliberately didn’t include SSL security in the original Gmail versions, for such encryption would necessarily have slowed the service, and apparently Google chose to not hinder the convenience of their Gmail clients. However, apparently security has become enough of an issue that Google now chooses to include SSL, but that’s a good thing.
For a number of reasons, I like Gmail, and I doubt that the average Gmail user will notice any slowing due to the new SSL security.
yer not likely to notice the secure socket layer lag…
point is if they’re gonna send login & passwords back and forth they should have encrypted them.
More likely the designer didn’t realize that they would need the information for each interaction because the original idea was to use a persistent system. They changed their method and added the id & password and then forgot to go back and encrypt it later once they got the sucker working.
If you have ever used a web based system that would require you to log back in after a period of inactivity then you have witnessed the persistent method of keeping track of who wants what.
Ah, if only this were a perfect world, but at least Gmail can now be encrypted, including login, password, and all content.
Before I switched over to Apple/Mac, I became a Google fan, in part because my PC got much too much, Ya-Hoo derived spam.
Anyway, I’m glad Google/Gmail finally got around to doing the right thing.
ah, spam…I actually got one this morning, first one in about 6 months.
If I furnish the required information I will receive 500,00 British pounds starlings.
Isn’t that just one heck of a lot of birds???
My observation is about the same. Spam simply isn’t the problem it once was, thank goodness!
That’s mean, Denny. Maybe they just have a really funky accent 
And as you can see as the conversation went forth, I had reason to not understand the whole thing. Geeze… 
Why silly me! I’m just sure you’re right!
I’ll send them your email address and see if we can split it!
oh, silly me…
yer ISP is filtering them.
I’ve got two accounts that I use.
One of them moves the spam to a folder on their server so that if I log on to their system to check my mail I can paw through the suckers.
Usually I just pick up both accounts from here with my email client.