Re: [cobalt-users] rant not, just loosen up

["Chris Adams" <chris@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Mon, 29 Nov 1999 19:23:41 -0500, Davis wrote:

>1)
>>(Remember that some users pay by the minute to stay online).
>
>Who the crap pays by the minute? I can't imagine why. For fifteen lousy
>bucks a month, you can get unlimited time. That's a bargain for anyone in
>our line of work.

Hint: not everyone lives in the U.S.

>2)
>>don't post HTML or binaries.
>
>Who can't read HTML mail? I can't imagine why not. It looks neat. Come on,
>loosen up. Today's browser breakdown from StatMarket says that 78% of net
>surfers use IE4 or better, and another 19% use Netscape 4 or better. That's
>97% of everyone using browser which are free and which come with HTML mail.
>Why not climb out of the stone age and join them?

First, those are browser usage figures. Not everyone uses their browser to
send email. With most mail clients, enabling HTML in email is a major
security risk, particularly if you're using Microsoft products. This means
your message won't reach anyone who's blocked HTML messages for security
reasons.

Second, storage space isn't free. Most of the HTML mail programs send the
message twice and thus more than double the bandwidth usage. Multiply by the
number of people on a busy mailing list and this becomes non-trivial. Even if
you don't have to pay for the bandwidth, someone ultimately does.

Third: "It looks neat"? I've yet to see anyone produce an argument in support
of HTML email which goes beyond "I think it's cool!". HTML email adds nothing
to your message but has the side benefit of annoying everyone who doesn't
like the colors colors and fonts an HTML message inflicts on them. I'd
certainly prefer to keep my choice in fonts and colors, which I chose because
it looks nice to *me*.