Have you ever run into one of those debates that you never even really knew was a debate? Then, you find out that all your new neighbors call soda "pop," and all of a sudden you don't know who you can really trust anymore?

How you interact with your email is definitely one of these arguments. When people who use nothing but webmail find out that I use a dedicated email application like Outlook or Mail.app, they don't usually get upset, or make jokes at my expense. They're just generally flabbergasted, as if I had just told them I preferred walking backwards on the treadmill or something. To webmail-only workers, dealing with an email client is just an additional layer of work that provides no real benefits. But to those of us who are used to our dedicated client apps, webmail often feels like "mail-lite" with restrictions we can't accept.

So is one method REALLY better than the other? Or is it just a Coke/Pepsi matter of personal preference? Let's break down the issues for each.

Simplicity

Using webmail is like walking into a deli and ordering a sandwich. There's a limited amount of things that can go wrong, because you're right there. If they're out of ham, they'll say "sorry, we're out of ham. Using a client application is like ordering that sandwich over the phone — all kinds of stuff can get between you and your order.

Maybe they are out of ham. Maybe they hung up on you. Maybe you hung up on them. Maybe you called the wrong deli. Maybe they went out of business and now it's a bait shop. You don't know.