To make messages produced by Microsoft Mail (I use v3.2) more consistent
with internet conventions, I'd recommend the user include the following
lines in his/her MSMAIL.INI file in the [Microsoft Mail] section:
 
NormalFont=MsMail3, 9, 0, 0
FixedFont=Helv, 10, 0, 0
ReplyPrefix="> "
 
The first two lines reverse the fonts:
 
The default, or "normal", font becomes fixed, 9 point. This causes outgoing
messages to be limited to 78 characters per line, preventing annoying line
wraps which occur when an 80-plus character line (as produced by MsMail when
using a proportional font) is read by a 80-column mail reader.
 
The secondary, or "fixed", font becomes what is, by default, MsMail's
proportional font. This permits the user to view messages created by MsMail
in "native" format if desired.
 
The last line causes quoted text to be preceded by the ">" character
(inserted automatically when using the "Reply" function). Inconveniently, a
"Reply" to a list posting goes to the list owner. "Forward" could be used,
but "Forward" doesn't insert the quote character. I use "Reply", but before
sending change the address from the list owner to the list name.
 
Another annoyance of MsMail is that it generates a new line if a CR/LF is
the 80th character in a line, as is often the case with documentation
produced by LISTSERV. This means that many of the documents returned by a
GET to LISTSERV (REFCARDs and such) get mis-formatted and are a little
difficult to read. Does anyone have a work-around?
 
Paul