Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2004 23:49:49 -0800 From: underway@comcast.net (Gary W. Swearingen) To: Bart Silverstrim <bsilver@chrononomicon.com> Cc: FreeBSD-questions Mailing List <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org> Subject: Re: Mail readers Message-ID: <d165d19syq.5d1@mail.comcast.net> In-Reply-To: <2C0C0548-791E-11D8-A66F-000A956D2452@chrononomicon.com> (Bart Silverstrim's message of "Thu, 18 Mar 2004 15:52:30 -0500") References: <200403182042.i2IKg2c18484@clunix.cl.msu.edu> <2C0C0548-791E-11D8-A66F-000A956D2452@chrononomicon.com>
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Bart Silverstrim <bsilver@chrononomicon.com> writes: > No. Nothing. Format=flowed applies solely to plain-text messages. HTML > messages already have something functionally equivalent to f=f: the > <BLOCKQUOTE> attribute, which... um... quotes blocks of text. When f=f > mailers that also can handle HTML encounter <BLOCKQUOTE> text, it’s > usually marked up with the same excerpt bars we’re familiar with from > f=f. Format=flowed isn’t actually at work there, but since > <BLOCKQUOTE> text flows nicely when you resize a window, the effect is > the same. Your msg there is first for me -- one that (sorta) properly claims to be using a MSFT custom characater set. It's more typical for MSFT supporters' software to use WINDOWS-1252 and either call it ISO-8859-1 or call it nothing (which implies ISO-8859-1). Apple's is at least being honest about it. Mime-Version: 1.0 (Apple Message framework v613) Content-Type: text/plain; charset=WINDOWS-1252; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable But sadly, many (most?) mail non-MSFT mail readers don't understand those WINDOWS-1252 characters even they're properly labeled. So we see your smart quotes, etc., as "?" or in octal as "\222", etc. Makes it look real pretty. I've never heard of this f=f stuff and don't have time just now to investigate, but I'll keep typing anyway. I think the problem is the same but worse. f=f is probably spec'd in a new draft RFC and many mail readers don't support it, so your correspondents on a list list this can't handle it well. Plain text mail was (and still is, really) spec'ed in RFC-822, but I think it's reasonable to assume that everyone can deal with the newer RFC-2822. Both require that plain text message be able to be read without reformatting by the mail reader. Unfortunately, they don't specify a width. It's reasonable and traditional to expect people to have terminals or windows that display 80 characters wide, but to accomodate traditional quoting, etc, it's a good idea to keep the width of new stuff within 70, though many people use 72 (ala punch cards and old FORTRANs). There's been a few attempts to establish a plain text format that assumes that mail readers will reformat incoming mail, and it sounds like f=f is one of them. But their still not safe bets unless you know your correspondents can handle the format. With traditional mail readers, one doesn't WANT the reader to reformat mail, because, for example, it makes a mess of programming code or text tables. My mail reader can be configured to let long lines go off the end, requiring horz. scrolling to see it or it wraps lines mid-word at the edge of the screen. I find it nasty to read stuff longer than 120 characters, while for many it's 80 or some other, but people won't complain if you keep it to 80 and assume that your readers have to scroll horiz. to read stuff wider than 80.
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