On Tuesday, 9 September 2003, at 10:59:41 p.m., David Boggon wrote: > I don't want to open a can of worms here (or maybe I do) but what > is wrong with using HTML in email? what is behind TB's relegation of > HTML to the backburner?
Well, the can is well and truly opened! In my opinion, I believe there is nothing intrinsically wrong with HTML *if*, and *only if* it is used correctly according to the intent of its designers. Elsewhere in this thread are mentions of abusing HTML in emails. Let's face it, HTML is abused far more on the web than in email. I think everyone in this thread who is supporting the use of HTML in emails should read the HTML 4.01 specification - all of it. Then you will understand that HTML is a /semantic/ markup language. It is _*NOT*_ a presentation tool. And, more importantly, you will understand *why* this is the case. If you want pretty emails (if only in your own eyes) then use RTF which is designed to pretty-up text. It is only the sheer popularity of HTML (due to the web) and the short-sightedness of popular email client vendors (and, I suppose latterly, market forces) that led to HTML emails in the first place. If you are about to say RTF isn't supported in emails, you'd be half right. HTML isn't intrinsically supported by the SMTP protocol is it? It's your client that does things differently. So you *can* have RTF in emails. Back to my opening point, if you want to use HTML, then it must be for reasons of semantics. There is no <b>old or <i>talic any more, there is <em>phasis and <strong> emphasis - which the recipient can choose how they want to display. Also, <table>s contain tabulated data (yes, really!) and not graphics that join up, and have (<th>) heading and (<td>) data cells. Now, sometimes, presentation is important. For instance, when you want to sell something (oops, did somebody mention SPAM?). Thinking really hard, how often is presentation *important* for the contents of an email that is not SPAM. And if you can think of a case where this is so, could it be better handled by posting a web page, or PDF file, or attaching a PDF file to the email? If anything, then, should we be asking RIT Labs for CSS support? Oh, and if you cry 'not practical' to HTML+CSS because of poor support in mainstream products, that is no excuse. If everybody didn't bother because of this, we'd not be as far down the track as we are today. You *are* the masses. Go with standards! -- Regards, Allister. Using The Bat! v2.00.6 on Windows XP 5.1 Build 2600 Service Pack 1 ________________________________________________ Current version is 2.00 | "Using TBUDL" information: http://www.silverstones.com/thebat/TBUDLInfo.html
