Tim wrote: > Oh really? Millions of MSOE users using clients that don't handle > UTF-anything, outnumbering users using other clients that do, suggests > that sending Unicode mail to them would be a problem. If they can't handle UTF-Anything...then UTF-7 wouldn't be much good would it? Besides UTF-8≠Unicode. FWIW, the current version of MSOE handles UTF-7 and UTF-8 just fine. It also has selections for other encodings...some of which would require either 8-bit transport or base64 encoding >>> A point in case about not identifying content properly; many of the Red >>> Hat / Fedora announcement list messages do not have headers stating the >>> content encoding, and the pages have strange characters splattered >>> through them as the content isn't the same as my mail client's default >>> (use when guessing) settings. Such messages going through systems that >>> translate are prime candidates for further mangling. Changing my >>> default encoding is no answer either, because the same problem will >>> occur with some other unidentified message content that's not encoded >>> the same way. > >> You are mixing issues. > > With what? It's the same encoding / different encoding / not identified > encoding problem, just a practical example. I'm sure some people have > kept copies of those messages, and a little bit of hunting around will > find a broken one that doesn't display correctly in their mail client. > I can find messages sent as UTF-8, but with no declaration, so the mail > client either presumes that they're ASCII, or uses its default (which > may be ISO-8859-1), and the result is mangled mail. The fact that a message was sent improperly means only that. If I send you an email that is encoded as EUC-JP and don't identify it or mis-identity it you will not be able to display it properly unless you make a guess. So, what? All it proves is you have a poor client. >> You are right about one thing... Someone's email client didn't display >> a message properly. BUT, it wasn't the problem of the sender...it is >> the problem of the receiver. The sender need not change anything. > > I'd say yes, now. But several years ago I'd suggest the opposite (that > it being worth presetting a client to post in a particular manner). And > even now, it can be a problem on usenet. If everyone did that then we would not be where we are today. -- Om began to feel the acute depression that steals over every realist in the presence of an optimist. (Small Gods)
