[TimeWave-AEA] Frequent bounced messages due to HTML formatting

[Doug Reed]

Hello Everyone!

You should be aware by now that QTH.NET is changing all email lists over to
a new program called Mailman. One thing that Mailman does very well is to
detect and reject any message that includes HTML formatting in the message.
QTH.NET rejects HTML in email because some of the virus and trojan programs
making the rounds rely on HTML to propagate and install itself on your
machine. Since we don't want to be the source of your virus infection, all
HTML messages are rejected. 

The same reasoning applies to any message with an attached file. The
majority of virus and trojan programs are propagated as attached files.
They are specifically targeted at anyone using Outlook or Outlook Express
but they can effect people using other email programs as well. The reason I
say they are targeted at Outlook users, is that Microsoft, in their
infinite wisdom, made the default installation of Outlook automatically
download and open all attached files. That means the virus is installed
before you have a chance to notice it. Anti-virus software is one of the
best things you can own. But the first thing you should do is look through
the setup options in your email program and make sure the option to
automatically open attached files is turned OFF. 

If you really feel you must send a document, you'll have to open the
document, select the text you want to send, right-click and COPY the
selected text. Then change to your open email message, position the cursor
in the message, right-click and PASTE the text into the message. 

But I mainly wanted to inform everyone that I'm seeing a lot of bounced
messages due to HTML formatting. Mailman will send you a message indicating
your message is being held because it is "suspicious." Its a poor choice of
wording since it could mean HTML formatting, an attached file, too many
names in the "To:" field, too long (over 40k), or several other
possibilities. I hope you will take the opportunity to fix the message and
resubmit it. I'll often look at the messages but I usually just reject them
out of hand so don't rely on me to forward them for you...... 

If you need help turning off HTML in your email program, try the links
below. They were distributed on a QTH.NET list and are claimed to have the
info you need. I can't answer the questions myself since I haven't looked
at the web pages. Good luck.

http://www.expita.com/nomime.html
http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com/listadmins/plaintext.html
http://www.nethawk.com/1113/swap/nohtml.htm
http://www.eudora.com/techsupport/ini.html

And I'll repeat a useful message about the conversion to Mailman in case
you haven't seen it before. For those people on slow dial-up lines, I'm
sorry I write such long messages but I feel I had to explain....

73, Doug reed, N0NAS.
Timewave-AEA list manager.
----------------------------------------
Hi Gang:
This is a blatant rip-off of a message to the HSMS reflector from Steve
Harrison regarding reflector changes that are listed below.  He did such a
great job of describing WHAT IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN TO OUR NLRS reflector that I
just pirated his letter,  plugged in the appropriate addresses to make it
pertinent to our reflector and signed my name to it.  How's that for crust!
I strongly suggest that you print a copy of this letter and stash it away
where you will have access to it as it does give you a good overview of the
new software.  More info will be following and that should be printed
(recommended) or archived as well.

Bud
w0lcp


Happy Holidays to all NLRS Reflector Users:

The owner of qth.net, All Waller, K3TKJ, has decided to abandon Majordomo,
the software which has been running this remailer. It is rather old
software and there are newer, more-feature-rich programs out there. The
NLRS Reflector (e-mail mailing list) will be transitioning over to the new
'Mailman' software (properly spelled "Mailman" rather than "MailMan"). All
existing subscribers will automatically be subscribed onto the new list and
given your own unique password, with which you can change your own settings
for receiving NLRS Reflector postings. I would suggest that if you
presently subscribe to more than one QTH.NET reflector, that you simplify
the task of remembering your passwords by setting all of your passwords to
the same one. You can always change any password whenever desired.

Please note that during the transitionary period this week, Al Waller has
requested that no new subscribers be added to any reflectors until next
week.
The existing address of nlrs@qth.net  will soon stop working and the new
address will be nlrs@mailman.qth.net . Most of the other QTH.NET reflectors
such as WSVHF and NEWSVHF have already been converted over the past several
weeks. The time has come for the last of the old lists to be converted. I
will let you know when I am aware that the old address is no longer in
service so that you will have a reminder to change your address books. I
expect that we will have a "grace" period of several weeks.

Here are some of the new features:

- Users automatically get a password which they can change or they can
forget it... and the system will mail it to their list address on request
and once a month they get the password mailed to them as a reminder.

- Users will now have the option to set digest mode on or off; disable mail
but stay subscribed (vacation mode); remove their e-mail address from any
public list; subscribe; unsubscribe; view the list users (if enabled by the
Administrator); and view the Reflector archives.

- For myself, your Administrator, user lists are easily set to public or
private or off; and I can alter user addresses so as to be human readable
but useless for spam harvester programs (I intend to maintain the same
level privacy that we already enjoy, however). Archives can be public,
private or not kept and are available for download either zipped or
unzipped. Archives can now be selected by subject, date or poster. I have
not decided how to handle archives as yet.

- Each list will have it's own web page now, which we can modify to suit
the list (any suggestions on content, please email me). I may or may not do
anything with this feature just yet.

- Although Mailman does allow rich-text and html messages, I will continue
to limit all NLRS Reflector postings to plain-text only (no attachments
allowed), just as all QTH.NET reflectors always have been. Any postings not
in plain-text (or with attachments) will simply be thrown out.

The conversion to Mailman should occur over the next several days. Most of
you will not have to do anything at all to continue receiving the Reflector
postings as you always have. However, you should remember to change the
address of the reflector in your address book once the change takes effect,
which you will know has happened when you receive the message containing
your password.

I regret the inconvenience to all and hope this change goes smoothly for
everyone. If you have troubles with the conversion, please e-mail me.

By the way, it is known that Mailman does have one quirk which should
affect very few of us: you cannot subscribe to both the digest and the
individual-postings at the same time.

73, Bud, W0LCP
NLRS Reflector Administrator