The new version of Gmail -- which was more of a back-end update -- has given developers access to an easy Greasemonkey API that makes developing plugins or changing the appearance of Gmail a breeze.

What does the new Gmail API mean for Internet standards? Google quietly released a new set of Gmail APIs today, giving developers access to some of the building blocks of its popular Gmail protocols.

Enable the Gmail API and download the credentials file in JSON format. This file will allow your Python scripts to authenticate and securely interact with your Gmail account.