[Lazarus] Policy regarding HTML messages

[Mark Morgan Lloyd]

Martin wrote:
> On 25/08/2012 23:24, Graeme Geldenhuys wrote:
>> To the mailing list admin,
>>
>> What is the policy with regards to HTML messages in this mailing list? 
>> I find it very annoying when messages to mailing lists are in HTML - 
>> this seems to be the general consensus in most mailing lists. I was 
>> under the impression that only plain text message was allowed in this 
>> list too.
>>
>> Could you please clarify this.
>>
>>
>> People that send multi-part HTML messages...just to list a few.
>>
> 
> While I am not the admin, I did a quick search (aprox 17000 msg of the 
> last 18 month): about 2600 or 15% seem to include html.
> Including mails  of many developers, Including some of mine.
> 
> IMHO that rule should be seen as an ancient relict (so long as mails are 
> at least mixed, and have a plain-text part too). Even mobile phones have 
> the power and cheap and fast enough connectivity to deal with html mail.

I'd suggest two exceptions.

i)   Messages containing any sort of "phone home", e.g. an embedded 
image held on the originator's server, should be frowned upon.

ii)  Attachments other than alternative representations should be 
frowned upon. Otherwise we'll start receiving full-size projects, 
related binaries, and- eventually- unrelated binaries and potential malware.

Attachments etc. are fine in a "pull" medium such as a forum or Mantis. 
They aren't fine in a "push" medium where in most cases they're 
transferred in their entirety to the recipient's systems before he has a 
chance to decide what's relevant.

-- 
Mark Morgan Lloyd
markMLl .AT. telemetry.co .DOT. uk

[Opinions above are the author's, not those of his employers or colleagues]