Fwd: gas prices

[Bill Hartmann]

On Sat, 03 Jul 1999 00:55:36 -0700 (PDT), Paul Wiener wrote:

>I'm sure that the preface about my mail program's not understanding
>MIME was not typed in by the sender, but was inserted automatically by
>the sender's mail software (apparently Outlook Express for the Mac) and
>was designed to be invisible if my mail client displayed HTML
>formatting.
>
>I fired back a rather snotty reply to the effect that my mail program
>was, in fact, *fully* conversant with MIME and that the problem, which
>had nothing to do with MIME, was that the sender's message contained
>HTML code (which it obviously does) and that I choose not to use a mail
>program that displays HTML or RTF formatting.
>
>I was telling the truth, right? Why would Outlook Express for the Mac
>start off a message by telling me that my mail client was
>MIME-ignorant?

Paul

In general, the sender's mail client does not know what is going to
be used to read their email. So they have not idea what the capacity
of the receiving client is. So they encode the message both in text
and html attached with MINE. 

It is MS ignorance that no one would use a mail client that
understands MINE, but does not display HTML.

BTW, this makes for some interesting spam. Messages that say "click
here" for this wonderful chance to be taken, BUT THERE IS NOTHING BUT
A BLANK.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bill Hartmann

Lake Tapawingo, MO (near Kansas City)

billh@tfs.net