[H-GEN] A Call for Peace

[Mark Suter]

[ Humbug *General* list - semi-serious discussions about Humbug and     ]
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Tony,

> "80 column boundaries and plain text restrictions"
> 
> Just what does it mean and how does one set it up?

Using a dumb terminal or one of it's more recent cousins like a
default sized xterm(1) gives a terminal that is 80 columns wide.
These terminals can't render much more than plain text.

The basic idea was that emails (and Usenet postings) should be
viewable to all and the 80x24 text console was consider the
definition of "all".  I am using a 80x24 xterm right now.

Many traditions were documented in the 1995 Netiquette Guidelines
document.  Coincidently, this was released shortly after Humbug's
first meeting.

    http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc1855.txt

> Or is this a 'silly old twit' sort of question?

As a generalization, the only stupid question is the unasked one.

> I quite often use Windows and Netscape to view my mail, especially when
> I am having a hard time with something on my Linux box.
> I have never set up any of my Windows mailers for "80 column boundaries
> and plain text restrictions".

Many of the Mail User Agents available for Microsoft Windows
respect these traditions by default.

As a general piece of advice, I would advise all members to be
aware of what their mail client does, consciously decide what
behaviour you want and make it happen.

> Does this mean I offend some each time I write in?
> Like now?

Your emails to the general list this month have all been in plain
text and all have had fewer than 80 characters per line.

People should not get offended over technical issues.

Yours sincerely,

-- Mark John Suter  | I know that you  believe  you understand
suter at humbug.org.au | what you think I said, but I am not sure
gpg key id F2FEBB36 | you realise that what you  heard  is not
mobile 0411 262 316 | what I meant.        Robert J. McCloskey

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