I don't use or like Gmail, but given that it's quite likely the most popular IMAP server on the planet, I'd say it's Apple's responsibility to their users to not break compatibility.
Which service then? I'm using it with iCloud, Yahoo!, Exchange and my own heady build based on Dovecot. All work flawlessly. If a provider uses non-standards complaint implementations of services such as IMAP, it is their responsibility, not the email clients, to support the end user.
Company A makes standards compliant product. Company B produces an undocumented service that has extended the service beyond the standard model, essentially breaking it. In your world company A should be responsible for making company B's service work?
> In your world company A should be responsible for making company B's service work?
If I'm paying Company A? It used to work, and it doesn't now? Yes.
Why should users care whose fault it is? This isn't even about fault; the only fault is failing to adequately test with something so widely used. Just fix it.
Not sure why we're discussing fault at all, what was being discussed is whether it was worth upgrading to Mavericks. The practical reality was that until 3 days ago, if you used Gmail everything was fine in every release of OS X except for Mavericks, regardless of the reason (knowing "why" is of no comfort when it just doesnt work, especially when it used to work and you were recommended to upgrade).
"Considering we spent months where Mail.app didn't perform it's most basic duty (receiving mail)..." It did work, just not with Gmail. I get that it doesn't help you, I was pointing out that the target for your ire was misplaced. Gmail is non standards compliant. It is a web based app and the best experience is to be had in a web browser. Any one of Safari, Chrome, Firefox or Opera are more than fit for purpose. I'm fairly sure that Apple and Google would tell you that.
