Well, to answer the question head-on. I am a self-respecting hacker and I do run my own private mail server for my personal mail. But I use Gmail for what I th

Well, to answer the question head-on. I am a self-respecting hacker and I do run my own private mail server for my personal mail. But I use Gmail for what I think of as "impersonal" mail. This includes mailing lists such as those operated by the OP, as well as general notifications from other sites and services. I gain free storage and bulk management tools for a body of data I perceive of low value and sensitivity. Moreover, Gmail's spam filters are better than mine (spamassassin). That has particular utility for these low-value accounts that are more likely to have the associated email address disclosed beyond my control. For things I care more for; personal communications and so forth, well, they still land on the private host.