[geeks] HD/IDE question

[der Mouse]

>>>> How come your email comes across in multi-hundred character lines?
>>> Because your mail client doesn't break them up.
>> http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2646.txt
> First off, that someone sat down and wrote a 12 page document becuase
> he was annoyed at line length in text emails is (somewhat) amazing to
> me...

What reason do you have to think that that's what prompted 2646?

> Finally, I don't consider that RFC binding, as far as I am concerned
> that RFC has way too much logic in it for such a simple problem.

Well, if you refuse to use the existing, standardized mechanism to
represent the semantics you appear to want, I see no reason why I
should go to any particular lengths to make up for it.

> It essentially says that I should specify "flow" in a header field,

No, "flowed" (and I'm not sure I'd say "field" is a fair word, but
that's a side note).

> and that I "should" limit line length to between 72 and 79
> characters,

Right.  The de-facto historical standard.

> and that based on the header line setting ("flow"
"flowed"
> or "fixed") any client that gets my email and can not handle lines
> between 72 and 79 characters in lenght will
may, ie, if it feels like it
> apply the rules laid out in the RFC to attempt to display the message
> in a "sane" manner... Couldn't that all be resolved by the viewer
> including a wrap/no-wrap setting for email display?

Sure, except that it has no particular way to know which emails it's
appropriate for.  That's why the spec calls for that information to be
attached to the message.

> Finally, just to cite another RFC:

> http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc1149.txt

Yeah...so?  If I were upset because other people didn't accept my IP
datagrams over avian carriers when I were doing it sokme other way,
that would be relevant.  As it is, you're just being silly.

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