This probably isn't relevant to the list, but I suspect some people here may have things to say that would enlighten me. David Mayerlen says, speaking of reasons why someone might 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. > 1/ Some mail browsers including many (perhaps all) versions of > Outlook default to a variable width font. 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. I guess I see this, but it sure does seem strange to me, to go to HTML in order to get back to plain fixed-width ascii, just because the 11-year-old whiz kids at Micro$oft set their mail programs to default to variable width fonts. Sigh. > 2/ You can play with fonts. This makes a simple text email much > easier to read. Headings can be bold and in larger font sizes. > Colour can be used. Well, yes. Though I have yet to see playing with fonts make a text easier to read . . . or color, either. > 3/ You can include a few pictures. Not much more to say about > that. But I think the question was that the person wanted to send the same message to these subscribers in ascii and those in HTML. It would be the same message. I don't yet see why the decorative possibilities of HTML (and I don't deny them) are worth enough -- in email -- to create the kind of mess Micro$oft mailers make, for instance, when they autopackage every email with an HTML equivalent. If I want to send you something that really needs classy formatting, color type, and pictures, I'll put it on a Web site and send you a note telling you where it is. Or send you a .pdf document. That way I don't have to worry about whether your mailer will be able to parse it, or whether it'll create a glob of unreadability on the archive of the list. -- Russ __|~_ Russell A. Hunt __|~_)_ __)_|~_ Professor of English St. Thomas University )_ __)_|_)__ __) PHONE: (506) 452-0424 Fredericton, New Brunswick | )____) | FAX: (506) 450-9615 E3B 5G3 CANADA ___|____|____|____/ [log in to unmask] \ / ~~~~~~~~~~~~ http://www.StThomasU.ca/~hunt/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~