And it came to pass that Cevpx wrote:
> Attributed Meowbot wrote:
>
>> Adam James Fitzpatrick <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>>
>>>And often enough the poster hasn't written anything that
>>>actually *requires* HTML markup - it's just plain text
>>>anyway.
>>
>> I even see some posters go to great lengths to make their
>> HTML look like plain text, including monospaced type and
>> 80-column lines (no, not <pre>, but an incredible
>> simulation).
>
>
> Probably in an attempt to appease the plain-text pussies. ;)
>
>> OTOH, I've seen a few times where HTML actually did improve
>> the presentation. These have all been longish, dense text
>> -- the examples I recall have all been CFPs, abstracts or
>> legal notices. For discussion groups, the composition
>> software tends to toss in way too many gratuiutous
>> elements.
>
>
> Presentation is what HTML is all about. How can anyone not
> want to have a tool that has the potential to augment their
> attempts at communication?
>
> How many web sites do you see in plain-text?
>
I have no problems with Websites using HTML.
But I have NEVER seen a newsgroup post that read better because
it was in HTML. All it did was cause my download time to
STREEETCH way long.
This medium is all about the content, not the presentation.
Websites are for whistles, bells, and dancing flowers.
> We have all heard the pussy that goes by the name Fluffy
> expound the scripture that usenet is not the web... ad
> nauseam... etc., etc. Are we talking about bandwidth here?
> Do we still have people connecting at 300 bps?
Yes. At least, a suprising number are connecting at 9600.
Cellphones, beepers, and other "interenet appliances" do connect
at very low speeds. And many schools and library systems
(especially in third world locations) connect at 9600 OR LESS.
Because of this, many sysadmins in these areas simply block HTML
email and newsgroup messages outright.
And even in the rest of the world, many folks pay:
by the minute for the phone connection
By the minute for the INTERNET connection
and by the kilobyte for the download.
Adding a flowered background or six kind of fonts in seven
colors just doesn't seem to be a compelling argument for
screwing these people.
--
}:-) Christopher Jahn
{:-( Dionysian Reveler
Today is an excellent day to become a missing person.
To reply: xjahnATyahooDOTcom
