How do I use GMail as my primary e-mail client?

I use the GMail web interface for my e-mail needs. How do I get mailto: style links in web pages and "send mail" type actions in Windows programs to open up the GMail web site?

I need this to work across and outside of browsers, so an extension for Firefox won't cut it.

Solution 1:

Google has a "Google Notifier" program just for this. It runs in the tray on Windows and lets you set Gmail as your default mail program. It also provides notifications when you get new e-mail.

Solution 2:

You can use gmailto firefox extension to have "mailto:" links handled by gmail.

Or better, set it up without an extension, in Firefox.

For the rest of the system, you'll need to have a wrapper application that launches gmail.