Leen, On Saturday 06 November 2004 16:18, Leendert Meyer wrote:
....
I tend to agree with you: html adds no extra info to a mail, other than changeing the signal/noise ratio in an unfavorable way (although my mail client kmail did not show any html at all, became aware by the replies in this thread).
I wonder... Do you speak in a monotone? Do facial expressions play no role in your verbal communication? Do your hands remain at rest while you speak? In short, is the sum total of the information you convey when you speak contained in the words themselves? I think not. This bias against styled text in email is absurd. It should be possible to exercise typographic control when communicating in written form. (If you look at the rendered content of the post that started this round of the HTML mail debate, you'll see that the author simply added a modicum of typographic flair. Hardly something over which to be upset.)
The (strongly) preferred way of posting in mailinglists and newsgroups is usually text-only.
Preferred by a dictatorial "some," I'd say. Arguments about "bandwidth" are irrelevant. The Internet has vastly much more capacity than is used, and there's miles and miles of dark optical cable that can simply be turned on when the demand presents itself. And I'm aware of those who pay by the (kilo- or mega-) byte, but really, that's a separate problem. There is no objective reason to prohibit or even discourage mark-up in email and on Usenet.
Cheers,
Leen
Randall Schulz