Greg Fall writes:
<snip>and maybe he doesn't even realize that he is using HTML.
<end of snip>
Since I accidentally started this thread, I've kept silent,
waiting for a response of this type. Now it has popped up, here is
my reply.
The snip above digs deep into the golden thread of why this list
exists.
People that post to this list are usually asking a question, and
want an answer. If the person is a newbie, perhaps just starting
Linux for the first time after some time with Microsoft then they
have been mostly insulated from the (lets face it) rather complex
world of mail technology.
If the (unpublished) convention of *this* list is to use
flat-ascii, then that is one convention. Other lists may not be
the same. Someone who does not send a message in the convention of
this list is not necessarily being divisive, they just don't know.
And will never know unless someone mentions it.
Deleting a question from a newbie will possibly result in a
non-reply to a posting. If the problem never gets fixed it will
prejudice that person against using Linux.
Worse than that, a reply back to a newbie with a grossly
innapropriate word like 'crap' will have greater negative
impact.
I would gently suggest that if there is any interest at all in
promoting Linux, then messages from newbies should have some
priority.
My penultimate comment is to those that are concerned about wading
thru large quantities of mail and have no time to deal with
'difficult' messages, I would gently suggest that you improve your
mail filters. I get about 800 messages a day and have no trouble
weeding.
Lastly my comments on html vs flat ascii. Despite the resistance
of this list, markup text will become the predominant email of
choice across the globe. People want illustrated text. For the
person that pointed to history as defense of plain text, can I
point out that bibles used illustrated lettering back in those
olden days. Even my 1890's copy of Venn's Symbolic Logic has some
illustrated text.
IMHO
I'm off now to go back to my valve computer and 5-bit teletype.
Kind regards,
Tony Wells
Phenomenal Books
"I have made this letter longer than usual because I lack the
time to make it shorter" - Blaise Pascal.
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