Google has made it difficult to send emails programmatically using Gmail due to security concerns, but it's still possible to do so with Python and Flask. To code along with this post, one needs Python 3.6.4, Pip for installing dependencies, Virtualenv, a Gmail account, and install the required dependency Flask-Mail. The application is configured by setting up environment variables for email credentials and using the Mail extension from Flask to send emails. However, due to Google's security measures, users may encounter authentication errors and need to hack their Gmail security settings to make it work. As an alternative, services like SendGrid offer more maintainable solutions for sending emails programmatically.