Nope, no step added. See where I continued my sentence by saying "or doing it in one step by using the "move to" button"

yeah, same thing as folders.

You still haven't shown anything that folders can do that labels can't.

that doesn't make sense though, since applying a label and then archiving the email, or doing it in one step by using the "move to" button, is the EXACT same as moving the email into a folder, except it isn't physically located in some folder. A folder is essentially a completely inflexible label. You are saying that an email belongs to this label and this label only when you put it in a folder. Using labels instead of folders allows you to have ALL the functionality of folders, but with the ADDED functionality that an email can exist in multiple folders/labels at the same time.

If you want to use your inbox as a to-do list, well, leave emails in your inbox until the item is complete, and then when it is complete, archive it. Labels actually HELP in this regard, because you can label something so that its context is easily identifiable, but it can still exist in your inbox until it is complete, at which point you archive it. With folders, you can't sort in this same way while things are in your inbox. You have to move it out of your inbox in order to sort it into a folder so that it has context, such as moving it into a project folder. I can label my emails as being associated with a particular project, and keeping it focused in the inbox as an item that needs to be taken care of using the label method. This is not possible with folders.

Your list of labels is on the left, just like a list of folders would be in any other mail program. When you click on a label title it gives you all the emails with that label, which is the exact same as clicking on a folder name and seeing all the email that is located in that folder.

You haven't demonstrated any functionality that folders have and labels lack.

For the record, I apologize for the sarcasm, snark, and general condescension. However, that said, I still don't see how your post which I originally replied to makes sense. You said that your girlfriend switched to the old Gmail from the new one because she liked folders instead of labels. This doesn't make sense as Gmail has used labels instead of folders since its inception. It was only after some people complained that they wanted folders instead that Google added the "move to" button in addition to the "label" button, so I'm not sure what it is that your girlfriend liked before and now has lost since only new features have been added, with no functionality removed.

So I stand behind my point (to which I acknowledge you have conceded) and I apologize for my tone.

You can see my reply to Dynedain above for reference, but simply put, there are two buttons for labels, one is a "move to" button, and the other is a "label" button. The "move to" button will apply the label you choose and then archive the email. The label button simply applies the label and leaves the email right where it is.

So if you want the emails moved (archived) when you apply the label, just use the "move to" button. If there are emails that you happen to have labelled but they are still in your inbox, simply archive them. That will leave all the emails that you have yet to apply labels to in your inbox.

And if you are looking for archived emails without labels, as I said to Dynedain, the tools are there to find them, but if you are diligent in how you use the "move to" and "label" buttons, it shouldn't be an issue.

Thankfully Gmail has a fantastically powerful search engine. if you don't have too many labels, you can do a search of

-label:{label1 label2 label3...}
note the dash "-" at the front of that.

and just replace "label1" etc with all your labels. But if you have a lot of labels, I can see that being cumbersome. Alternatively, if you want to search for emails from a specific person, or regarding a specific topic, just do a regular search, or use targetted keywords. Setting up filters to automatically apply labels to emails with certain triggers, such as being from a specific person, or containing a specific keyword means that few to none will fall through the cracks in the future.

Another suggestion would be to always use the "move to" button instead of the "label" button so that once a label is applied, emails are moved out of the inbox, and they are only moved out of the inbox once an email has been labelled.

I understand your point, but I think there are enough tools provided that it shouldn't be a deal breaker.

You must be new here.

This is complete nonsense. If you like the idea of folders, then treat labels like folders. There is even a button that looks like a... *shock* FOLDER, and when you click it, it allows you to "move" any selected emails to a folder (label). Then if you want to find all the emails that you filed in any particular folder (label) you click on the appropriate folder name (label name). It works EXACTLY like folders, but with the added benefit that if you wish, you can apply multiple labels to your emails, so that is just like copying an email to multiple folders, except you don't have to actually copy it and any replies or forwards for that email are all kept together instead of being copied individually all over the place.

If someone can't figure out that labels can be used exactly like folders, then they have no business using the series of tubes we call the interwebs.

If Netflix didn't completely suck in Canada, and I had some reliable way to watch the live sports that I wanted, then I would consider going that route over cable television.

My wife and I did the free trial of Netflix and thought, wow, this would be great if all you wanted to watch were movies from the 1980's and seasons 1 and 2 of television series that are in their 9th season. Even at $8.99 a month Netflix in Canada seems like a complete waste of money. If the content was the same as in the US, then that would be a whole different story.

now now, let's not let facts get in the way of a good story.

Agreed. If I had mod points I would certainly be modding the parent up.

[sarc] But, let's not let facts get in the way of a good ol' apocalyptic scare story... [/sarc]

I love how the summary, and all the google haters are completely ignoring this little tidbit of the TOS "Also, in some of our Services, there are terms or settings that narrow the scope of our use of the content submitted in those Services"

You know, that part where they tell you that if you don't make it public then they can't use it however the fuck they see fit.

if only the sea level rise would agree with your "uh oh"
http://sealevel.colorado.edu/

You do realize that the term "global warming" implies that it is global right? The sea ice in the Arctic has indeed been on a decline in the satellite era, however, during that same time period, the sea ice in the Antarctic, you know, at the other end of the planet, has been increasing. uh oh.

That doesn't even cover the fact that there is plenty of anecdotal evidence from various sources which predate the satellite era which suggest that there has been as little or even less ice in the Arctic as there is now. Uh oh.

The Backstreet Boys have apparently sold over 150 million records. Does make them better artists than Paul McCartney or Luciano Pavarotti at 100 million, Santana at 80 million, Bob Dylan at 70 million, or Pearl Jam at a measly 60 million?

large sales figures != quality product

just as

low sales figures != low quality product

Please do me a favour and have the Earth orbit the sun in a number of days which is a factor of 10 instead of 365.25 and while you are at it, adjust the moon's orbit around earth to also be a factor of ten for the number of times it orbits in a year instead of 12. If you could get right on that it would be appreciated so that we can use that metric time you are talking about.