Microsoft has hotmail and Skydrive,
Ubuntu has Ubuntu One, does it have free email service?

I have never heard of it.

The free web email services are commonly run by outfits who want to be your "web portal." Microsoft got into it during the browser wars, when they were trying to take over the web.

Moved: This thread is more suitable in <GENERAL> and has been moved accordingly to help your thread/question get the exposure it deserves.

I don't think so

No free email provided by Linux community?

But Microsoft is more than just an operating-system making group of folks. They do other computer-installable software (e.g., Office), they do messaging (e.g., Messenger), they do search (e.g., Bing), and so on. Ubuntu folks do Ubuntu, the Linux distribution. I think if they had the resources, they'd have ten other things in the list before offering email service, not least because it'd be difficult to offer a better, not to mention free-of-charge product than the other big comptetitors.

Email service "by the Linux community" is a totally different thing, then. I don't think there's such a service, not aimed at the general public at least. It's one thing to write programs on your spare time, without getting paid, and perhaps even pay some cents for a hosting service for the project, but hosting an email service complete with the bells and whistles to carry huge amounts of users (Linux folks are plenty, and there might be others), keeping it secure, fresh and over the competitors...I don't think it's something people really want to do in their own time, giving away for free and not getting paid. And how would most of the users respond when the service was down a few days or weeks every now and then, due to maintainers being on holiday, having a low budget, or doing something else which they'd be free to do because it wasn't something they were paid for?

Is Linux going to provide "cloud computing"?
I read that Windows 8 will be "cloud".
I am not IT specialist (but an IT fan ),
what is actually cloud?
The Apple Mac OS Lion also comes with iCloud.

"Cloud" is a marketing term for "all your data are belong to us."

Ubuntu? Free email? Not something I'd want to see.

Canoncial, you cannot trust them.

'Cloud' means lots of different things, depending on who you ask, and how you ask.

You can consider ubuntu one to be a 'cloud storage' method. Its also closed on the server side, and last I heard there were 'no plans to open soruce the server software for ubuntu one'. Another example of canonical makinng proprietary software. The client-side software is another thing thats in the 'canonical contributor agreement' which allows canonical to change the licence, even sell the software if they want....

+1 Which is also why apple, microsoft and google love the idea.

If you really want to try this misguided idea, try
http://www.jolicloud.com/

Why you need it if you can get GMail?

I think Linux already does provide a cloud OS- it's called Peppermint.

Exactly! And not just your data, but under Cloud, they will be able to control your applications/software and your access to your own data/applications/software. It's bad enough how MS already tries to control your computer...but under a cloud system, they will really have total control- and any Linux version of that will end up in the same place, as obviously, no one is going to spend gazillions of dollars establishing and maintaining the necessary servers and networks for FREE. If it's free to use....you can be sure that the corps behind it will be making money from it...by mining your data and controlling access to the whole system.

Very scary- as when the majority start going this way (and they will...they never think of the ramifications...they just hear some new thing touted in the media, and they jump onboard, just to be "with it") it will really be scary, because a small group of people- i.e. corporations and governments- will then have ultimate power and control over virtually everything that people do.

Thank goodness there's Linux for those of us who care and want to buck the system. (Assuming some distros will not go cloud)

Exactly! There a thousands of free email providers already. Since Linux is free, where would the money come from to establish and maintain a free email system, anyway? If it were free, they'd have to find a way to make money off of it to pay for it...and isn't that what Linux types are trying to avoid? (And rightfully so, in this scenario- as such things would take Linux fully out of the hands of individuals and hobbyists, and make it the province of corporations- which is already happening in some distros- like Ubuntu- and I'm not liking the results too much. I'm certainly not opposed to anyone making a profit...but I think if Linux gets taken over by corps, it will lose the very traits which make it so desirable now)

From the same source as often, for example here on LQ: Advertising.

Where did you get that from? Nobody thinks that making money out of Linux should be avoided, or otherwise we wouldn't recommend enterprise distros if someone needs paid support.

Can you please explain to me how setting up a free Linux-based email-provider takes Linux out of my hand? I don't get it.

How should that be possible with GPL'ed software, you can always make your own Linux.

IMHO, What the corporations will do with Cloud is like what they did with cheap printers and expensive ink - Get you hooked to the system and then milk you forever.