don't like HTML email? here's your fix.

[Trevor Smith]

On Fri, 31 Mar 2000 15:23:40 +0100 (BST), Simon Bowring wrote:

>I favour Steve's position.  If you assume an (approx) 80 char 
>wide screen (but leave somne "spare"), use plain text and 
>non-proprotional font, you are furthering the cause of a 
>"common user experience" within mail (and news).
>
>*Anything* else, and you should be prepared for a different 
>experience.

Again, what you are saying is not much different than what Netscape
is saying. To paraphrase you:

"If you assume an (approx) 800x600 screen, use Netscape HTML and
Netscape's email/news client, you are furthering the cause of a
"common user experience" within mail (and news).

*Anything* else, and you should be prepared for a different
experience."

The point is we should set a standard that will allow us to stop
assuming or demanding what width, font, etc. to use. All that should
be indicated in the email format maybe.

Maybe we should all just start using PDF email...

>Many people probably stare at their mail and wonder why certain
>senders use badly wrapped lines, or lines of completely varying 
>length, or they failed to line up columns of figures etc etc.
>
>The only practical way of avoiding this for all users is for
>all users to follow the documented and long standing practices 
>of the internet community, embodied in various FAQs.  These 
>include the things Steve and myself have argued for.

I can think of a better way: implement a standard which includes a
header such as this:

X-word-wrap: 80

meaning "this message had each line wrapped at the 80 character
mark." Or:

X-word-wrap: 0

meaning "this message had line wrapping turned off."

Then no one would have to guess, no one would have to recommend
people change their settings. The client could read and adjust
automatically (assuming it was compliant).


-- 
 Trevor Smith          |          trevor@haligonian.com
 PGP public key available at: www.haligonian.com/trevor

PGP Public Key Fingerprint= A68C C4EC C163 5C0A 6CFA  671F 05D4 0B30 318B AFD6