> > !   3.4.9.  BACKSPACE CHARACTERS
>
> (quote from 822 removed to save space)
>
> The proposed backspace was not intended to effect an overstrike to
> the left, but rather to delete the preceeding newline element.
 
  Since software cannot, in general, determine the intention of a
  sequence of characters, it cannot be expected to make decisions
  based on that intention.  I believe backspaces in column one are
  illegal in 822.
 
> Since the problem primarily exists in environments restricted to
> 80 character line lengths,
 
  I would prefer 'environments with fixed length lines' rather than
  hard coding the number 80, but perhaps that's a nit.
 
> On mail ENTERING the 80 character environment, this layer is
> added, and on mail exiting the 80 character environment, this
> layer is removed.
 
  That sounds reasonable.  As long as people remember that, "that's
  not 822 running in there"
 
> No one outside the 80 character environment ever need see this, so
> the "serious" question about other implementations having a
> problem with this is drastically reduced.
 
  If the 80 character environment didn't seem like it was busy
  taking over the rest of the network, I wouldn't care much.  But
  much BITNET software only implements an 80 characters subset, even
  when it isn't necessary.  I get mail as punch files all the time,
  even though our software has been updated in the last 10 years,
  and so, we don't need to be pandered to in such a way.
 
Michael