David Mayerlen wrote:

> Funny you should ask. I'm just in the middle of quantifying all the
>reasons why one would prefer HTML. I'm working with designers as opposed
>to engineer types on the layout template for the email we are going to be
>sending. Here are some reasons for HTML.

   I'm working with students and ordinary people who just want
information fast, and cheap. There are NO reasons for HTML for them.


>1/ Some mail browsers including many (perhaps all) versions of Outlook
>default to a variable width font.

    One more good reason to avoid Outlook and any other  Microsoft
product.  Get something that is lean and efficient.
  In any cases, most readers have options which can be turned on or
off. The default is not the only way to do things, nor should it be an
excuse to take up people's time and bandwidth.


> If you place columns of numbers/words in
>a plain text email the columns will appear badly misaligned. You can
>simply wrap the columns of information in HTML <PRE> tags and Outlook
>switches to a fixed width font. Of course you could go and specify the
>exact fixed width font but you'd got to know what you are doing and make
>sure you pick fonts that are available on all OS platforms.

     You can get the same effect with ASCII and pre-set tabs and
mono-spaced fonts.


>2/ You can play with fonts. This makes a simple text email much easier to
>read. Headings can be bold and in larger font sizes. Colour can be used.

    You can play with fonts for artistic effects in desktop publishing
but they have not reason to exist in email.  Especially when someone
is visually handicapped and is using a text-to-speech program which
cannot go wrong with ascii but gets confused by difference sizes,
colors and font faces.   Remember that all those fonts and sizes and
colors have to be sent across the system as bits.  Which means they
take up time to send, and use bandwidth needlessly. Some people pay a
lot for bandwidth.



>3/ You can include a few pictures. Not much more to say about that.


     Pictures are nice.  they can be sent as attachments to the
text. Then those who do not want to look at them can ignore them and
get the information from the text.
  As   Friday used to say:  Just the facts, ma'am




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