re HTML use $%^%$^

[John Delacour]

At 9:06 AM +1030 2/3/02, Robin Stevens wrote:
>I am sick and tired of viewing HTML alphabet soup when trying to read
>Piano-Digest posts!!
>
>If you users, are smart enough to use a Computer..... THEN......PLEASE
>NOTE.!!!!!!

I agree that HTML is a pain, but it does not follow that the world's 
greatest piano restorers and tuners are necessarily aware of all the 
intricacies of SMTP and of their mail software.  Nevertheless it 
would be nice if they'd take the trouble to learn just enough to 
avoid creating the inconvenience and bloat that unnnecessary HTML 
messages create.  Here are a few basic settings.

For users of OUTLOOK EXPRESS for WINDOWS, here is how to stop causing pain:

1.  From the 'Tools' menu select 'Options'
2.  Click on the 'Send' tab in the dialog box
3.  Select 'Plain Text'
4.  Click on the 'Plain Text Options' button
5.  Choose 'MIME' and select 'Quoted-Printable' in the pop-up menu.
6.  UNCHECK 'Reply to messages in the format in which they were sent' **


For users of OUTLOOK EXPRESS for MACINTOSH

1.  From the 'Edit' menu select 'Preferences'
2.  Click on the 'Compose' tab in the dialog box
3.  Select 'Plain Text' from the popup menu for Messages/Mail
4.  UNCHECK 'Reply to messages in the format in which they were sent' **

**  Even if your default is to send plain text, when you reply to a 
formatted message, your reply will also be formatted if you have not 
unchecked 'Reply to messages in the format in which they were sent'. 
BUT you can leave this checked and remove the formatting from the 
'Format' menu or Options pop-up in the message itself.

The important thing is to set the DEFAULT to PLAIN TEXT.  This does 
not prevent you from formatting a message to an individual whenever 
you want to.

Users of Eudora for Macintosh can remove all styling/formatting from 
outgoing messages by selecting all the text and typing 
COMMAND+OPTION+T.  Users of Windows Eudora must select "Clear 
Formatting" from the Edit menu or type ALT-ete.

In order for Windows Eudora to create proper attribution lines, so 
that people can see whose message you are replying to, you must reply 
TO ALL and not just reply (Ron please note!).  In Options you can map 
CONTROL-R to Reply to All if you want, otherwise you can just type 
ALT-ma.

Eudora Settings/Options should always be set to warn the user if he 
is sending formatted messages.

Just because a message looks "plain text" to the sender -- for 
example all Arial 10 and black, just like plain text -- does not mean 
it is plain text.  It is necessary to set up the mailer properly to 
avoid messages being sent with all the unnecessary html coding.  A 
Macintosh user does not want to read your Arial 10 -- it is miles too 
small.  All we need is the plain text displayed as WE want to see it.


JD