Re: Off Topic - HTML mail

[Sean McGrath <sean.mcgrath@propylon.com>]

>  Microsoft Outlook
>and Netscape mail default to HTML.  Most people don't think to turn
>HTML mail off because they can't see the underlying code in the
>mail software.

Now if there is one area of Web standards/recommendations where the
W3C, IETF or *someone* should put its foot in, this is it.

I'm not against HTML e-mail amongst consenting adults but it should
surely be an "opt-in" rather than "opt-out" option of e-mail software.

This is an area where vendors can have us mere users by the
short and curlys. Notice how sucessive versions of browsers
from some vendors make it more and more difficult to find
the option to turn off cookies? SmartTags was going to
shop ON by default before the furore gathered.

By defaulting things to ON and taking advantage of, um, market
penetration, vendors can and go, guide us in a direction
they want us to take on these things.

Sean