The Gmail service from Google Inc. was off on Tuesday by a glitch that, according to the company, hit the "majority" of the millions of users, including those who use this free e-mail system and the companies that pay for a version for their employees.
The problem, which lasted less than two hours, was a reminder of the increasing reliance of businesses and individuals about the technology. The free version of Gmail is the third e-mail program more popular in the world, reaching some 149 million users in June, after the free services offered by Microsoft Corp. and Yahoo Inc., according to comScore Inc. .
