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![[ CFS-20s ]](../20slogo.gif)
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Posting Guidelines for CFS-20s
Why You Shouldn't Use HTML
These Guidelines may not be copied, distributed or altered without the express
permission of its Author.
What's Wrong With Posting In HTML?
We ask that no one posts to the list using HTML, for many reasons. Firstly, not all
e-mail clients are able to read the HTML code because e-mail was only ever meant to be
sent in 'Plain Text' format. Consequently your message will just be a jumble of HTML code,
to those members whose e-mail software can not interpret HTML. The same will apply
to those members who receive the list in 'digest' mode, because this (as it should be)
is only sent out in plain text format.
To give an example of how this looks, 'Figure 1.' is a message sent using HTML, and
'Figure 2.' is how an e-mail client that doesn't interpret HTML displays the same message.
Figure 1.
Hi
<snip>
>what's the URL for the IRC FAQ?
You'll find the HTML version here,
and the text version here.
Hope that helps!
Roger
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Figure 2.
<!doctype html public "-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en">
<html>
<FONT FACE="arial" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000">
<P>Hi
<P>
<FONT COLOR="#FF0000">
<snip>
>what's the URL for the IRC FAQ?
</FONT>
<P>
You'll find the HTML version
<A HREF="https://www.angelfire.com/me4/cfs20s/irc/">here</A>,
and the text version
<A HREF="https://www.angelfire.com/me4/cfs20s/plain/ircfaq.txt">here</A>.
<P>
Hope that helps!<BR>
<A HREF="mailto:roger_pc@rbpc.demon.co.uk">Roger</A>
<FONT>
</html>
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As you can see, it becomes almost impossible for someone reading this (especially someone
with brainfog), to read the message because of all the code. Not only that, but as shown
above, HTML messages contain much more data than a plain text message saying the same
thing. This extra data causes a lot of problems for those on the list who have the
messages printed out for them, get the messages in digest form, or who have a limited
amount of e-mail space available to them. And because of the extra data, these messages
also cost those members who pay by the minute to be on-line more money than necessary.
Finally this extra size also takes up more valuable bandwidth on the Internet.
How do I turn off HTML?
Unfortunately all e-mail clients are different, so each one will have a different way of
turning off HTML. However, thankfully the following two web pages give detailed
instructions on how to turn off HTML in all the major e-mail clients that support it.
'How to Turn off HTML or RTF in Various E-mail Software Programs'
RootsWeb List Owners Utilities Web Pages have an illustrated guide to turning off HTML in
most of the main e-mail clients.
'Configuring Mail Clients to Send Plain ASCII Text'
Gerald E. Boyd's excellent page contains a more comprehensive list of e-mail clients, and
although not illustrated, gives simple explanations on how to turn off HTML in all of
them.
If you are still having any problems, then please feel free to get in touch with one of
us and we will be glad to help you out.
Return to the Top or the main
Posting Guidelines page.
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