03-07-2003, 07:00 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Does Your Email Client Support HTML?
We're in the midst of preparing a little something, and I was curious about what % of you use email clients that support HTML email formats. Simple survey!
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03-07-2003, 07:11 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 335
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Can view, but don't
Hi,
I can view HTML email via my email program (The Bat! - which is excellent by the way) but it does not go back to the web to download any images... which is how it should be.
I have however set it up to show the plain text version by default as I've found that most (99%?) HTML email is SPAM!! Programs such as Outlook Express which send html email are normally readable in plain text. Without the risk of taking control of your machine (jumping to unwanted sites...).
My 2c
PJE
[EDIT: Also HTML email is much larger in size than plain text, which is a big issue if you're using a mobile device with metered data transfers]
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03-07-2003, 07:28 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 338
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Re: Can view, but don't
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Originally Posted by PJE
I can view HTML email via my email program (The Bat! - which is excellent by the way) but it does not go back to the web to download any images... which is how it should be.
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Hmmm.. interesting... I'll have to check out that program. Hadn't heard of it before.
I'm not sure why this survey is being taken, but I would like to point out that the next version of MS Outlook, as is widely reported, will block HTML e-mails by default... which is good in one sense and bad in another.
I wish HTML e-mails included the graphics, instead of simply pointing back to the source web file. (I think they can, but SPAMMERS obviously don't want to do it that way... they want their web beacons in place so that they can see just how many unlucky fools see their trash.)
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03-07-2003, 07:40 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 141
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Cool!!! I hope you are thinking of setting up an emailable subscription to latest news and information from PPCT delivered to your e-mail Inbox daily like we have, that would awesome!!!!
It is great to see this site grow with more functionality...
Keep up the good work!!!!
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03-07-2003, 07:40 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Re: Can view, but don't
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Originally Posted by Bob Anderson
I'm not sure why this survey is being taken, but I would like to point out that the next version of MS Outlook, as is widely reported, will block HTML e-mails by default... which is good in one sense and bad in another.
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Personally, I think it's mostly bad. There are many, many HTML newsletters out there that I get - including many from Microsoft. Blocking all HTML messages is the height of stupidity, and I really hope Microsoft comes up with a solution that's somewhere in the middle: it protects users from HTML-based spam, but also hurts a lot of very valid HTML-based newsletters out there. I really loathe text-based newsletters - plain text is an ugly, painful, and awkward way to present more than few lines of information to the user.
Speaking of Outlook 11, is anyone here beta testing it? How DOES it deal with HTML newsletters from places like Lockergnome anyway?
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03-07-2003, 07:47 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 335
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Re: Can view, but don't
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Originally Posted by Jason Dunn
Personally, I think it's mostly bad. There are many, many HTML newsletters out there that I get - including many from Microsoft. Blocking all HTML messages is the height of stupidity, and I really hope Microsoft comes up with a solution that's somewhere in the middle: it protects users from HTML-based spam, but also hurts a lot of very valid HTML-based newsletters out there. I really loathe text-based newsletters - plain text is an ugly, painful, and awkward way to present more than few lines of information to the user.
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Point taken. It should be possible within an email program to have allowed senders HTML pass through (e.g. all *@microsoft.com) by adding them to the address book, but block off-site HTML entities from other senders.
I like HTML email if it's optimized for size with no links to files on the internet (but then embedded graphics should be kept to a minimum), but the non-local content referenced by html email is becoming a real issue for spam and the like.
PJE
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03-07-2003, 07:50 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 15
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I don't think Outlook 11 blocks HTML e-mail outright, but rather doesn't download remote images by default. That's got to be A Good Thing. I'm guessing you'd be able to, say. right click and email and say 'allow images from this address' or some such.
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03-07-2003, 08:06 PM
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Theorist
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 276
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Going to show my age here again :P
HTML has no business in email. If you want to send a HTML news letter, just send a text email with a pointer to a web site that has the news letter.
Most of the HTML emails I get you can tell someone spent 10% thinking about the actual content, and the other 90% farting around with fonts, colors, and tacky animated graphics.
I can't believe that Microsoft is actually thinking of blocking HTML emails !!!
Microsoft and AOL or the $@%^$#'s who pushed HTML in email's.
Anyways, sorry for the rant, but give me a clean clearly written TEXT email any day...
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03-07-2003, 08:09 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 141
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Outlook 2003 Beta aka Outlook 11 has 2 new Spam features (about time!) the best part of it is the CRM features that Outlook has been lacking all these years, I haven't tried all the features yet, but I am hoping it will be my replacement for ACT!
Some cool things in the Outlook:
A large "Reading Pane" on the right replaces the preview pane with text that has been enhanced with Microsoft's ClearType "subpixel rendering" (which many PPC users are very familar with)If you prefer you can also place the Reading Pane on the bottom, but when in the vertical position mode Outlook can display up to 40% more text also kind like a PPC window so less scrolling is need to read your message.
Located in the left column is a "context-sensitive navigation pane". Depending on whether you are working in a mail, calendar, contacts, etc. you will have a different menu pop up.
You also get some new features called "search folders" like Unread Mail, Large Messages and For Follow Up which are virtual folders that stay updated automagically, kinda like what you see when using Advanced Find. This is something I set up right away and found very useful.
Your Unread Mail search folder will show all unread messages in ALL of your mail folders(YEAH!!!- I hate it when you get an email in a subfolder and never know it arrived unless you went to it - a great and much added feature).
Some other things I found:
You can set Outlook to block external Internet content (image, sound and video files) in HTML messages, so it won't download everytime you go back to an old message, which can be kind of annoying at times... nice feature... the problem with Web-based spam mail, is that the content comes to the person whether they want it or not--sometimes with strings attached and even worse it can act as what is known as a "Web beacon," telling the sender/spammer that the e-mail address is in fact valid and this can even occur if a person uses a preview window.This is one of the great SPAM filters it has, an applause for MS here!!! This is great for managing Exchange accounts with limited size and space restrictions.
Outlook 11 also simplifies mail handling through a "Quick Flag", displayed next to each message in the default view. One click per message flags the message for follow-up at a later date. Now you just do a one-click operation rather than set a follow-up flag with a right-click followed by data entry.
I also noticed that by default the sender and the sent time are now more prominent features of each mail message, much like Eudora.
User-configurable "read as plain text" option (this is nice especially for some Html mail that is just too much)
Mail Autocomplete address suggestions listed by frequency of use, not alphabetical order, which is really cool no more guessing which email you are sending it too if a person has multiple email, fax addresses...
I also notice BIG speed improvements for POP mail downloads I don't know what they did,but it is definitely faster...
The Calendar section looks very cool kinda like Pocket Informant for the Desktop. Also the Calendar interface includes the ability to view additional calendars in one default view, side by side. If you have permissions on someone else's calendar, a checkbox can display his or her calendar next to yours in the default Calendar view, very useful for Exchange Users.
I am sure there are more and I hope to find them the more I use/play with it...
The interface is really great...
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03-07-2003, 08:12 PM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by egads
Going to show my age here again :P
HTML has no business in email. If you want to send a HTML news letter, just send a text email with a pointer to a web site that has the news letter.
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Heh. It's clear where different people come from. Jason's from the visual school of thinking, while you (and myself) are old-style text-based emailers. I agree - I largely prefer text email - that's what it was designed for and that's the most useful common denominator.
I use a UNIX console-based emailer (Mutt), although it will automatically convert HTML to plaintext for me so that I can view it without launching Outlook. I do occasionally launch Outlook to check a HTML email, but this is very rare; I infinitely prefer the speed and power of my setup.
I suspect I'm in the minority, though.  I will certainly try Outlook 11 out, though -- I stay knowledgeable about a wide variety of mailers. That, and I'll definitely use Outlook as my PIM, as it meeds my needs there pretty nicely.
--janak
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