[ale] CSS And HTML mail

[James Sumners]

To be honest, I hardly ever read your mails to the list simply because
they are HTML formatted. The small, fixed-width, quotes and GIANT bold
signature juxtaposed against your somewhat normal reply text, make it
very annoying to read. It's also jarring to go from reading plain old
ASCII emails, to reading an HTML email, and then back to ASCII. I'll
admit, it is one of the best, and by that I mean least annoying, uses
of HTML email I have seen.

On 6/28/07, Michael B. Trausch <michael.trausch at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>  On Thu, 2007-06-28 at 10:53 -0400, James Taylor wrote:
>  Personally, though, the features that are available with HTML mail (when used correctly) can provide a much better reading experience than plain-text e-mail.  Of course, non-technical computers users think that HTML mail is supposed to be used to make thing big, bold, neon, and PINK, which is utterly annoying.  But, there is no harm in HTML mail as long as the recipient's machine doesn't permit scripting in mail.  If mailers had half the support for XHTML 1.0 that Internet Explorer does, it'd be that much better, even.  I'd be all for XML mail if that meant that I could send an XHTML 1.0+MathML message body to someone.  That would be absolutely awesome... but for some reason, mailer technology has always been behind the curve, not worried about message size or presentation/content separation for HTML messages.
>
>  But, HTML is kind of like Unicode---it is here, and it isn't going anywhere.  And just like Unicode, used properly it can enhance accessibility and readability and get the job done far better.  But, most non-technical users have no clue what it takes to make a readable message.  They just want it to look pretty.
>
>      --- Mike



-- 
James Sumners
http://james.roomfullofmirrors.com/

"All governments suffer a recurring problem: Power attracts
pathological personalities. It is not that power corrupts but that it
is magnetic to the corruptible. Such people have a tendency to become
drunk on violence, a condition to which they are quickly addicted."

Missionaria Protectiva, Text QIV (decto)
CH:D 59