[Gmail-Users] Gmail vs. Hotmail vs. Yahoo Mail and the alternatives

I am SURE this has been brought up in the groups, as well as written
about extensively in blogs and leading tech sites. And yet I can't find
it.

I am considering switching to one of the Big Three web mail services
permanently. But which one? What is the good, the bad and the ugly of
each one? Where can I see the side-by-side comparrison of the features?
And maybe more importantly, the user testimony by real-life users of
the three? And should I switch at all, or should I stick with ISP/POP
and invest in home-based network storage?

Please point me to the articles or threads on this topic, or le't's
start one here if it has not been talked about in a while. The problem
with the articles I am finding is - they become obsolete almost as soon
as they come out, because all three companies keep adding features and
storage and fixing the popular pet peeves.

Just to clarify, I am not opposed to paying for Hotmail Plus or
whatever Yahoo may charge for their souped-up service. I just want the
best!

Whatever everybody else may be looking in the web e-mail
services, let me list my reasons and decision drivers:

1. I want to touch every e-mail piece I get exactly once - if it is
that kind
of e-mail. I use three computers daily and my Outlook inboxes
are clogged with e-mails I have read on other computers. (Web good,
ISP/POP bad)

2. I want to have access to incoming and outgoing e-mail no matter
where I am. (Web good, ISP/POP bad)

3. I hate the fact that with web-based e-mail my e-mail is stored
elsewhere. What if they go out of business? What if they get hit by a
hurricane? What if they start charging me to access my mail in the
future now that they got me by the you-know-whats? What if my
connection is down? (Web bad, ISP/POP - good, I think)

4. I am lukewarm on the fact that Gmail scans (and indexes?) my e-mail.
I am weary of the fact that some ISPs and businesses may treat Gmail as
a pariah - blocking it or forwarding it to spam folders. (Gmail bad,
Hotmail, Yahoo - better)

5. I don't like having my main address being @myisp - this denies me
the
freedom of switching to a better service. (ISP bad, web good)

6. What other decision factors are there that I am not thinking about?

I want to read the reviews and comparrisons by the people who have
agonized over the same desicions and compromises, not just some tech
editor who is looking at the pros and cons based on a test drive or the
latest
press release from Google, Microsoft or Yahoo. Am I asking for too much?