And once again they miss the point that so many of us never touched google plus over.
The name thing was a big deal for many, but for far more was the banning itself.
Getting banned on google plus for whatever google decides on a whim is against its terms of use that day (e.g. stupid name policy) will also nuke your gmail.
Far too many people were dependent on a free service with zero guarantees back then, many still are - there is just no reason to risk losing your gmail over cat updates when facebook is completely separate.
False. In the past, if your profile was suspended (for example, because of your name), it only affected your Google+ profile. Your Gmail still worked exactly the same.
Some people spread rumours in the early days of Google+ that your Gmail would be shut down if your Google+ was suspended, but that was never the case.
I recall the suspension thing being the whole reason the name thing came to light, perhaps I am mistaken?
Edit: Seems you are correct:
> Horowitz also took time to dispel the rumor that a suspension of a Google+ account means that a user loses his or her access to Gmail, Google Docs or other Google services. "When an account is suspended for violating the Google+ common name standards, access to Gmail or other products that don’t require a Google+ profile are not removed," he said.
I believe that in the early days, one or two people had their whole account shut down and went around complaining that it was because of Google+'s name policy when really it was because of something completely unrelated (distributing illegal content from their account, I think). The rumours spread from their, making it seem like it was happening to a lot of people, when it really never happened at all.
The name thing was a big deal for many, but for far more was the banning itself.
Getting banned on google plus for whatever google decides on a whim is against its terms of use that day (e.g. stupid name policy) will also nuke your gmail.
Far too many people were dependent on a free service with zero guarantees back then, many still are - there is just no reason to risk losing your gmail over cat updates when facebook is completely separate.