[QCWA] HTML vs plain text.

[David Hamilton]

There has been an international convention for at least 20 years=
 that 
email and news postings are in ASCII.  All reflectors are an 
outgrowth of USENET newsgroups, that date back to ArpaNet days.

HTML mail is a cutesy marketing ploy.  It adds nothing to the 
content, but requires a compatible mail or news client to be=
 viewed 
as anything other than junk.  I repeat.  It adds Nothing to the 
content of a message.  Oh, I'm sorry, I wanted that word to be in=
 the 
color "blushing red" with a funny little font that I found at=
 some 
site somewhere.  Since this is a strange little font, I would=
 like 
everyone who wants to read this message to download the font as=
 part 
of the message, y'know?

Oh, by the way, if you are gonna read these HTML messages, then I=
 
might as well code some animations and cutesy sound thingies to=
 go 
with it.  Heck, if I choose, I can launch programs on your system=
 
while I'm at it.  I can embed the programs in the HTML message=
 and 
your system will automatically run them for me.  I can send an=
 HTML 
message that will tell me your name, your email address, what=
 kind of 
system you are running, what version of what operating system you=
 are 
running, and anything else I want to know about your system, your=
 
files, or your life (if you allow Javascript or ActiveX and are 
running an M$ operating system).

Oh, did I mention that I can also change any of these things? =
 The 
standard HTML email and news setting allow anyone to crash your 
system, or write garbage to it, or anything else.

For example, it is very easy to write a JavaScript program that=
 will 
execute whenever someone reads HTML mail, that would send an=
 email 
message from the reader's system, saying "Jamal, thank you for=
 your 
help with the recent bombings.  I am planning something new.  I'm=
 
sure that you would approve."  The sending and return address=
 would 
be yours.  Some guys in suits and sunglasses would be tapping=
 your 
phone within days.

Do you understand, yet, the problems with HTML mail?

>For security reasons, all HTML mail goes directly to the trash=
 can.
>If you
>cannot convey what you need to say in text, point me to a=
 webpage
>for a
>picture. Also ASCII is used to be polite. Many people still pay=
 by
>the
>byte. HTML takes many times the byte count of ASCII to convey=
 the
>same info
>(wasted bandwidth).
>
>73
>Glenn
>WB4UIV
>
>At 04:56 PM 9/16/02 -0400, you wrote:
>>One of the reasons that html is not allowed is that there can=
 be
>>invisible links or script imbedded in the html page and these=
 can
>>lead to
>>virus attack.

-- 
David Hamilton, WA6AFD@earthlink.net on 09/16/2002