Hi Stephen my evidence seems to show that it may be random?! The smaller attachment was embedded & icon, the larger was icon only (see below) - I would have thought it would be the other way around. There have been other times when I have sent multiple attachmentts where some were embedded & some were icons/both.
Cheers, Alex On 04/09/2012, at 3:51 PM, Stephen Chape wrote: > Thank you Peter for your detailed reply. > I read it several times and now have some understanding of how this > works. > It is something that very infrequently concerns me. > However it has only just raised its head again because a Windows > using friend seems to think the issue belongs to me (and my Mac). > > The only criteria that I have not covered is that of placing > attachments at the very end of messages. > Out of curiosity does the size of the attachment make any difference ? > > > On 04/09/2012, at 8:05 AM, Peter Hinchliffe wrote: > >> >> On 03/09/2012, at 11:57 PM, Alex <[email protected]> wrote: >> >>> Hi Stephen >>> >>> I used to be annoyed about this myself previously, which was the >>> main >>> reason I didn't use Mail (until Eudora died one time). However I >>> spoke to Peter at a WAMUG meeting one night & he explained to me >>> that >>> the attachment still goes out as an attachment even though we see it >>> as being embedded in the email. I have sent quite a few attachments >>> lately, one being an individual 172 kb screen dump sent by itself >>> & in >>> my email screen it is embedded but I can see it as an attachment as >>> well when I open it from the Sent Box. Then again I have looked at >>> another attachment which is only 80.5 kb & that only appears as an >>> attachment icon - not embedded! I seem to think that I remember >>> Peter >>> also saying that there was somewhere you could turn off this >>> embeddedness, but I must be wrong about it as I can't find that >>> preference. >>> >>> I still am a little annoyed about it as I find it a bit of a >>> distraction, but then that's just me. Have learnt to live with it. >>> (I hope I haven't misquoted Peter) >>> >>> Cheers, Alex >>> >>> >> >> Sometimes we Mac users have to pay a price for OS X making things >> so easy. If we were only sending attachments to each other this >> stuff would not be an issue. >> >> As I would have explained to Alex (as I explain to everyone else >> who listens), the only thing that email supports is pure text: >> nothing else. Despite appearances, the email format does not >> support photos, movies, sound files, PDFs, Word files, or anything >> else someone might choose to send to you. Email supports only text. >> This is very important to understand. >> >> The only way that something which is not text can be sent by email >> is for it also to be converted to text. This is done through a >> process known as Base-64 encoding, and these days that process is >> extremely fast and completely invisible to the user. Base-64 >> encoding (or MIME-encoding) basically takes the file you are >> sending and converts it to a large block of pure text, then adds it >> to your message. The recipient's email client then decodes the text >> and converts the text back into its original form, be it a Word >> file, a photo, a movie, or anything else. >> >> It's something users don't have to think about these days, but it >> was a different story 15 years ago when this stuff was in its >> infancy. It was important in early email clients to know which >> encoding was being used, and who your recipient was. If you encoded >> your attachment incorrectly it would be unreadable by a recipient >> who did not have the correct de-coder. >> >> So, if we understand this fundamental aspect, it really shouldn't >> matter where in the message we place our attachment: it should >> still be able to be de-coded by the recipient and handled >> appropriately. Apple's Mail is a great example of such a client. >> The problem is that many email clients out there expect the >> attachment to be at the END of the message, and nowhere else. As >> noted, it often happens that some clients will know enough about a >> photo attachment, for example, to be able to display it as an image >> on the screen, but bot enough to allow it to be detached from the >> message, so it remains embedded. >> >> The only reliable way to handle attachments therefore, especially >> when you're sending to Windows recipients, is to make sure that >> they are at the very bottom of the message, below your signature, >> below every other bit of text. It can also help, of your recipient >> is still having problems, to enclose your attachment in a .zip >> wrapper before sending it. I have one regular recipient who cannot >> receive a simple text file unless it is zipped first. >> >> The frustrating thing about all of this is that it is the Mac which >> ends up with the poor reputation! In fact, is the sad development >> cycle of most email clients out there that has prevented them from >> "growing up" beyond their original early '90s behaviour in handling >> attachments. >> >> So...if you want you make your life with attachments easy, remember >> a few simple rules >> >> 1. Always send "Windows-friendly" attachments (in Apple's Mail, go >> Edit > Attachments > Send Windows-Friendly Attachments - this helps >> with the de-coding at the other end) >> >> 2. Always put attachments at the very end of your message (unless >> you know your recipient has a Mac) >> >> 3. Send as a Zip archive if necessary (also helps reduce the size >> of the attachment). >> >> Nil bastardo carborundum! >> >> >> Peter Hinchliffe Apwin Computer Services >> FileMaker Pro Solutions Developer >> Perth, Western Australia >> Phone (618) 9332 6482 Mob 0403 046 948 >> -------------------------------------------------------------------- >> Mac because I prefer it -- Windows because I have to. >> >> -- The WA Macintosh User Group Mailing List -- >> Archives - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/archives.shtml> >> Guidelines - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/guidelines.shtml> >> Settings & Unsubscribe - >> <http://lists.wamug.org.au/listinfo/wamug.org.au-wamug >> > > > -- The WA Macintosh User Group Mailing List -- > Archives - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/archives.shtml> > Guidelines - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/guidelines.shtml> > Settings & Unsubscribe - > <http://lists.wamug.org.au/listinfo/wamug.org.au-wamug > > -- The WA Macintosh User Group Mailing List -- Archives - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/archives.shtml> Guidelines - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/guidelines.shtml> Settings & Unsubscribe - <http://lists.wamug.org.au/listinfo/wamug.org.au-wamug>
