Gmail filesystem

This is an old one, but worth the discussion.

Richard Jones has written a python application called Gmailfs which essentially uses the FUSE userland filesystem utilities to allow you mount your gmail space onto your disk.

On debian based systems, you can get this up quickly.

apt-get install gmailfs

apt-get install python-clientcookie

Then either add it to fstab or go ahead and mount it

mount -t gmailfs /usr/local/bin/gmailfs.py /path/of/mount/point -o username=gmailuser,password=gmailpass,fsname=gfs1test

Before you go ahead and use it, notice that you can stat the mounted drive

df -h

You will get your gmailfs details, if there was no problem with your mount operation and the installation.

Try transferring a file or two to the mounted gmail filesystem. If you open up your gmail account using a browser or mail client you’ll notice mails to yourself. Meta-data information is stored in the subject lines and files are usually stored as attachments- the default block size is 5K and if your files are larger they are attached in consecutive emails. The block size can be changed in a conf file [maybe its /etc/gmailfs/gmailfs.conf]

Although I am still puzzled why metadata is spread into more than a single mail. As the picture shows – a single file split in two emails and 4 metadata “files”.

If you do go ahead and try to copy a movie or multiple files, you will either face errors after a point -i have not figured out what point yet- and coincidentally gmail will get angry.

You may also not be able to access your files and repeatedly get ‘no space left on the device’ errors even though you know that there is plenty.

The fact that you mount your drive with your username and password in plain-text and no encryption or secure connection is scary – but you do have options to use an SSL connection by modifying the conf file.

I find this an ideal solution if you have something like the OpenMoko’s Neo Freerunner and you’d like to save files but you either run out of space or you dont decide to buy any.