I'll actually side with Doug a little bit here. True, it was able to be disabled, but what if it couldn't? Google is pushing forward with the web becoming "the computer", by running more and more "apps" online and pushing forward with projects like Chromium OS. HTML 5 and offline sites allow services like GMail to run offline and appear to be just like any other application locally installed.

People complain when the Facebook layout changes, because people have to relearn where everything is. And in the case of their new privacy settings, caused people to expose information to the public that used to be private. (Including their CEO).

So going forward, where exactly should the boundary be between what is considered "mine" and under my control, and what is not under my control?

</Devil's Advocate>

One suggestion Doug, if you want to keep a consistent interface into your e-mail on GMail, I'd recommend using an offline mail application that supports IMAP. Thunderbird is a free application from Mozilla for email, and it can log in to your GMail account. If you are away from your computer, you can still go to GMail.com and read everything.