Portals are Web sites that are designed to be the entry point for Web surfers. They provide access to links that point to different Web sites.
Portals are basically just another name for Web directories.
After all, the Web is not the killer Internet application, E-mail is. The site providers have been able to sell off parts of their sites to advertisers, which in turn helps fund the free services. This new wave of folks is looking for something tangible to hang on to as well as something that is easy to use. The free E-mail and games are not as advanced as commercial software, but they get the job done for the majority of people. Plus, they are all entirely Web-based so they can be accessed from any Web browser.