On 16 Nov 99, 22:52, pel wrote:
> I am seeking statistics as to what percentage of the email client
> programs in use today are plain-text-only, vs clients that are
> HTML-capable, or hybrid. In general, are text or HTML clients more
> prevalent?
Answer: Too many. One e-mail client that is capable of sending HTML is
too many.
> What are people's beliefs regarding email format? Does anyone believe
> that HTML has any place in email, or not?
HTML has no place in e-mail. This is an e-mail "feature" pushed upon
us by the commercial elements of the Internet. Advertisers are trying
to push this so that they can spam you in glorious living color.
HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language, a document format used on
the World Wide Web. It supports several non-ascii characters. It is
meant to be interpreted and displayed in a web browser and not an
e-mail client. Additionally, an HTML document can carry scripting such
as javascript.
E-mail itself travels through a network of SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer
Protocol) servers. Your e-mail client communicates with an SMTP server
when you send mail. The SMTP servers can only transfer text in the
ascii format. When we need to go beyond simple ascii, we have to
employ MIME or other encoding methods to translate the extra characters
so that it will pass through SMTP servers. We generally attach the
extra encoded files to our e-mail. Since HTML often includes more text
than standard ascii, our clients will generally encode the HTML and
send it out as a MIME attachment.
There is where the trouble begins. No two receiving clients as well as
the various servers around the world, handle e-mail MIME the exact same
way. You cannot be sure when you send out an HTML document through
e-mail in exactly the manner it would be received, assuming it could be
received at all. Many Network e-mail clients on UNIX systems do not
handle HMTL and attempt to display it as a uninterpretable text code,
which can be confusing to the recipient.
Additionally, an HTML document can carry malicious code, such as
javascript meant to do harm. When the recipient receives HTML mail, it
is usually opened and any client designed to display HTML will
automatically open it into your interface and any harm contained
therein, will be released.
Plain ascii text e-mail is fully safe. There is no harm at all in
opening and reading ascii text mail. However, a MIME attachment can
carry a file that contains a virus. If that attachment is then opened
or executed, the virus can be released onto one's system.
Another problem that HTML mail creates is that they make your messages
nearly double in size. They are bandwidth wasters.
There is just no good reason to have HTML in our e-mail. We can enjoy
the splender and majesty of HTML and related scripting techniques, on
the World Wide Web.
> I am seeking to understand, any input or opinions are welcomed.
Those are my opinions. When you send e-mail out that is meant for an
individual, you can be circumspect and use discretion in utilizing
HTML. If a recipient is known to you and you know what they can handle
on their end, then with their permission you could send HTML to them.
But you should never send HTML e-mail to any recipient unknown to you
and this includes sending HTML messages to mailing lists. Most veteran
listowners do not allow that and I am no exception.
References:
G E Boyd's "Configuring Mail Clients to Send Plain ASCII Text" -- read
the first section entitled: "What is wrong with sending HTML and MIME
messages?"
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/1236/nomime.html
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Turning Off HTML Mail
http://www.transport.com/asciimail.html
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Alan
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
