From: Vadim Vygonets <vadik@???>
> Quoth Paul Makepeace on Wed, Oct 06, 1999:
> > "Your message didn't get delivered as well as you might've hoped. Here's
why
> > http://mta.mycom.tld/oops.cgi?lang=en&code=552&msgid="
>
> Oh my. Please don't. When I get a bounce, I want to see the "No
> such user" message *in* *the* *bounce*, without having to launch
> a web browser. And what about people who POP their mail from
> their ISP to their home machine and read it offline? Will they
> really want to dial up again just to read an *error message*?
Doh! I really didn't intend that the way I'd written it--I was intending that
as an error message placefiller. Sorry everyone about the confusion what I
meant was:
Include:
+ a message that explained the error (as happens now)
+ M[UT]A-readable code that can be locale-rendered
+ *additional* (i.e. not replacing) facility of a web-based customised
and more detailed explanation that could either reference standard docs (say
at exim.org) or on the sending server which would enable more precise
diagnostics and all sorts of other interesting possibilities.
(Just imagine: you could sell exim t-shirts as a link off the error pages ;-)
> Bad idea.
As I had poorly phrased it, yes, sorry.
> > I meet people who don't see a single use for HTML or non-ASCII in email
> > either. Baffling isn't it?
>
> We have Da Web (or Da Internet, whatever) and FTP. Why do we
> need HTML mail?
Um, because it's convenient? And precisely for the reason you just gave why
not to have the error message on the web!!
Consider these all too likely possibilities:
a) I don't feel like running an external browser
b) Remote site's down
c) I'm behind a http firewall (frighteningly common in Corporate)
d) I'm behind an ftp firewall (ditto)
e) I'd rather just have the thing appear in front of me in a single,
batchable download (log on, suck down, wander off, make tea, (meanwhile it)
auto-log offs, I return, read offline)
f) The author may wish to annotate a page/site. That's difficult if the
text and page are visually (um, windowly?) separated
> If you want to write something, just write it.
No argument. That's not all people do though.
There seems a reluctance amongst detractors to separate poor implementation
or misuse from the concept: attacking the idea of HTML (without
substantiation/reason besides examples of said misuse) rather than its in
some cases poor implementation, application defaults and usage trends.
Paul
>
> Vadik.
>
> --
> Bell Labs Unix -- Reach out and grep someone.
>
>
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