> Am I supposed to figure out how to configure gmail for SMTP,
Not to be condescending, but you can get the necessary information for doing that by using your favorite search engine.
> put the server and creds in a config file somewhere, and hope I don't bump up against any ISP firewalls or Google security tricks?
You could test that by trying to telnet to the SMTP server on the ports they claim to accept connections on. ISPs may block port 25, but they usually don't block ports for secure SMTP connections (like 465 or 587).
As for security tricks, you can always try sending an email to yourself or another email account for testing.
Knowledge is about how to do things. I think we both have enough to figure out how to get a task like that done.
Wisdom is knowing how to choose the simplest possible way to get a job done, i.e. knowing what not to do. I have enough to know which solution I'd rather spend my time on. Do you?
I think it really comes down to the conventions of the project that you wish to contribute to. Anyone is welcome to suggest improvements to the established workflow, but it really isn't productive to rant about something that really should be a non issue.
Not to be condescending, but you can get the necessary information for doing that by using your favorite search engine.
> put the server and creds in a config file somewhere, and hope I don't bump up against any ISP firewalls or Google security tricks?
You could test that by trying to telnet to the SMTP server on the ports they claim to accept connections on. ISPs may block port 25, but they usually don't block ports for secure SMTP connections (like 465 or 587).
As for security tricks, you can always try sending an email to yourself or another email account for testing.