On Mon, 28 Jun 2010, Mark Davis ☕ wrote:
The problem with slavishly following the charset parameter is that it is often incorrect. However, the charset parameter is a signal into the character detection module, so the charset is correctly supplied from the message then the results of the detection will be weighted that direction.
I interpret these two sentences as: "The problem with following the standards is that some people don't follow the standards. So instead of following the standards ourselves, we will guess if the other guy follows the standards or not, no matter how much he claims to follow standards. Too bad if our fix transforms his valid data into garbage." I have heard that song many times over 30 years. I have often been the victim of having my valid data transformed into garbage by the attitude of standards-violators who think that I can't possibly be following the standards, therefore my data must be "fixed". When I protest that my data was "fixed" into garbage, I get told that my complaint doesn't matter. I take a hard line these days. I generally don't like the concept of "fixing" things; I believe in GIGO (Garbage In, Garbage Out). More importantly, I utterly reject VIGO (Valid In, Garbage Out) caused by ill-considered efforts to create GIVO. What I don't understand is why the EU doesn't use its regulatory power to force compliance. If the EU can tell Britain that it can't sell eggs by the dozen any more, it can shut down a messaging service in Europe that does not comply with published standards. -- Mark -- http://panda.com/mrc Democracy is two wolves and a sheep deciding what to eat for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed sheep contesting the vote.
