Mail Archives: opendos/2000/11/01/04:14:36
X-Comment-To: Patrick Moran
Hi!
31-οΛΤ-2000 15:03 pmoran22 AT yahoo DOT com (Patrick Moran) wrote to
<opendos AT delorie DOT com>:
>> 3. That sending as MIME and sending as HTML is the same thing (HTML is sent
>> as MIME)
PM> You can also send many non text things like GIFs JPEGs MP# MPEG and software
PM> by encoding it with MIME, MIME is just another encoder like
PM> UUENCODE/UUDECODE. So it is not just for HTML. I didn't respond to that in
PM> you last message, I just let it go. But Just so you know, I do know what
PM> MIME is and what it does.
No, you _don't_ know what is MIME, as stated your description. MIME
(Multipurpose Internet Mail E[ncoding?]) is only definition how to format
mail messages. It allows split message by many parts where each part is an
alternative to each other (this is case when you send HTML message - those
mail reader which understand HTML show HTML part, other show plaint text
part which _must_ be included in addition to HTML version) or addition to
previous parts. Each part may be plain text or binary data. Binary data must
be encoded - usually BASE64, but UU also possible. For 8-bit plain text QP
(Quoted Printable) encoding defined, which allow to save original text in
any case even if they goes through 7-bit computers.
You must note: sending "in HTML" have sense _only_ when your message
contains non-plain text formatting _and_ you send message privately to your
recipient. Sending HTML messages to bigger community (like this list) is
poor deal - HTML messages is _at least_ twice in size and community
_usually_ assembled to make discussion, not to admire to someone's "great
formating". Of course, there is exists exclusion - like alt.sex USENET's
hierarchy or alt.*.ascii-art - but not this list.
>> Finally I'll ask you what I ask most people that send as HTML - exactly
>> what is that you gain from sending the mails as HTML as opposed to text?
>> Most programs will only display the message as if it was sent as text anyway.
PM> The main thing I use it for is stationary. I also send resumes via e-mail;
PM> and they look a whole lot better in HTML that in plain text. I also use
You send your resumes to general purpose conferences and lists?
PM> Front page express to for e-mail when I want to include things that are
PM> impossible to do with text or takes for ever in text. I often use the table
PM> feature of HTML. Sure it can be done in plain text but takes for ever and if
PM> you need to change the witdth of one colume for the whole table that can
PM> take a long time. I also have banner ads for things like PayPal that I like
PM> to include in some messages. There are probably 101 reasons I use HTML. Like
PM> I said before RTFM and Get a life.
You itself don't make RTFM, as stated by your MIME discription. :(
PM> BTW OE is not the only e-mail progran that uses HTML. Netscape mail uses it,
PM> Star Office uses it. Udora uses it. There are programs for DOS that uses it.
PM> I can't even remember all of the programs for Linux and OS/2 I have tried
PM> that uses HTML.
And what? If some mail programs can show HTML texts don't mean you
_must_ send in HTML - moreover better to spend time for fine tune text sense
than for text redundant formatting. And don't forget again: your redundant
garbage, called "HTML message", increase most receivers traffic and
accordingly payment...
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