Desktop e-mail clients have more features than the web interface. Also, you get to keep a copy of your e-mails, so if Google removes your account (it may happen) you don't loose anything.
Also, you get to keep a copy of your e-mails, so if Google removes your account...
Or, more likely, if you're offline for any reason at all. All web tools disappear in a puff of smoke if there's a problem between you and your ISP. Or, more rarely, between your ISP and their peers.
If you think desktop clients have more features than Gmail's web interface, you either haven't explored the features Gmail offers, or the set of features you care about is specialized.
That's a Universal Argument: if someone names a feature, you have two outs. Either Gmail has it, or it's "specialized".
Here's one feature my email client has: automatic spell-check, such that emails are disallowed from being sent if they have any spelling errors (with an override, of course). Gmail has a manual-trigger spell-check, while the browser has automatic spell-checking, but neither have a personal (jargon-customized) dictionary built up over decades nor an automatic modal dialog if the message to be sent has a mistake.
I guess automatic spellcheck override dialogs are specialized, eh?
I prefer Thunderbird's search to Gmail. I also have 4 email accounts I use and having them all in one client (and being able to move mail between them) isn't something I would be willing to give up.
