AltaVista, once one of the reigning Web search engines, said Tuesday it will cut off its free Web email service on March 31 and will neither forward email nor allow access to message archives. The company said it is refocusing on its search mission and getting away from the portal services it started offering in the mid-90s to compete with Yahoo and MSN.

Add to this, the fact that Yahoo themselves are planning to charge for their email newsletter services - unless you're willing to put up with ads on every email (no more option to pay a minimal amount to remove them) and it seems the Internet is starting to decide that everything can't be free. It was once thought that advertising - banners on Web sites etc. - would pay for everything, such has not turned out to be the case. Be prepared, the days of free everything are drawing to a close. Anyone from "Blogger" wish to comment? :-)