[Openib-windows] Plain text and HTML mail format

[Fab Tillier]

Here is what happens when someone uses HTML format.  See the line along the left
of the quoted message?  It doesn't break when someone starts to write something,
so in effect it does nothing - it's just a nuisance.  Which is why color is so
important - it makes up for the inherently bad quoting style provided by HTML
email.  People usually give up and top post, which makes it harder to follow a
thread.

 

Color doesn't make text easier to read.

Fonts don't make text easier to read, either

 

There's also a size issue - if you look at the message you sent, and compare the
size between the HTML format you sent and a plain text format, you will see that
the HTML is 10K while the plain text is 6K.  That's a considerable difference.
You can try this yourself to verify this - make a copy of the sent message, then
open the copy, select <Edit><Edit Message>, then <Format><Plain Text>.  Now save
the message and compare the size to the original.

 

When sending patches inline, it's easier if they aren't in some fancy font -
plain text lets code look like code.  It also lets the recipient save the
message and apply the patch without needing an attachment.

 

So plain text:

- is easier to read (for English, which is the primary language on the
openib-windows list)

- is smaller to send and receive over the network

- is harder to make careless mistakes like embedding multi-megabyte bitmaps,
tables, graphs and whatnot

- lets code look like code

- lets messages be used as patches without attachments

- provides better quoting style for putting inline responses

 

More comments below - if you can find them

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Tzachi Dar [mailto:tzachid at mellanox.co.il] 
Sent: Friday, August 12, 2005 8:53 AM
To: 'openib-windows at openib.org'
Subject: [Openib-windows] Plain text and HTML mail format

 

Hi everyone,

 

In the last week or so, someone has sent a mail saying that there is some
problem with "html mails" and the conclusion was that we should start using
"plain text".

 

I'm not saying that "html" is a perfect format, but most people do find it
useful. There are probably many other formats that might be used (for example
rtf). 

 

I believe that if we want to use a different format than html, this should be
fine, but the new format should support at least the following capabilities;  

 

1)   Enable different fonts.

2)   Enable different colors.

The only indication here that I wrote something is the color, unless I prefix my
comment with something like [Fab says], but that prefix only applies to the
first line of the paragraph.

3)   Enable inserting of tables.

4)   Enable inserting of graphs.

5)   Enable "auto numbering"

Typing numbers isn't that hard, so this is really of minimal value.

6)   Allow more languages. I'm not saying that the format should support any
language in the world, but the minimum is to support any language that at least
1,000,000,000 people speak and write (for example Chinese and Arabic). Of course
other people might suggest other bars here.

If I get an email in Arabic or Chinese, I won't be able to read it, so the
format won't matter.  Feel free to use HTML when sending me messages in those
languages.

 

7)   Allow writing in both directions (did I mention Arabic ?).

.esu yna fo eb t'now cibarA ni gnihtemos em gnidnes os, cibarA dear t'nac I
,niagA.

(Again, I can't read Arabic, so sending me something in Arabic won't be of any
use.)  Writing English right-to-left doesn't have any value.

 

If anyone else has more requirements than please answer this mail, and the
entire openib-windows can choose the new format. 

 

Comments please (Currently at all formats).

 

Thanks

Tzachi

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