This came to me on another list, and may be helpful----note the website
given at bottom.....
>Using plain ASCII text in e-mail--Why and How to do it
____________________________________________________________________________
>from
>Configuring Mail Clients to Send Plain ASCII Text
>http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/1236/nomime.html
>
>What is wrong with sending HTML and MIME messages?
>There are a three main reasons for NOT doing this:
>
> 1. Many Email and Usenet News reader programs, usually the mail and
> news reader programs that come with browser packages, allow
> users to include binary attachments or formatted text within
> their Email messages. They even allow HTML that is normally used
> in web pages. This makes URLs into clickable links and it means
> that graphics can also be included in Email messages. While this
> makes your Email pretty and interesting to look at, it can cause
> many problems for other people who receive your Email because
> they may use different Email programs, different computer
> systems, and different word processing programs, whose files are
> often not fully compatible with each other. Any of these can
> cause trouble with attachments. Most of the time all they see is
> the actual HTML code behind the message. In some cases, the
> message is nothing but garbled text.
>
> However, when you send an attached word processor file, it will
> appear on the other end as the exact same type of file. The
> recipient must have hardware and software that can read that
> file. For example, if you attach an MS Word file, and the
> recipient of your message is using a word processor that can't
> open MS Word files, that person isn't going to be able to open
> your attachment.
>
> 2. HTML or MIME messages are larger and more wasteful than simple
> text messages. Using HTML or MIME in Email messages makes the
> messages larger in size by some two thirds. These will take
> longer to download and they take up more storage space than
> standard Email messages. Email storage is important because many
> people retain copies of messages they receive and in the case of
> mailing list digests, the individual messages are combined in
> one large message and sent to the user at the end of the day.
> In addition, the mailings lists archive the messages for periods
> of up to 6 months to enable users to search for particular
> postings at a later time.
>
> 3. HTML or MIME messages leave or include unwanted files
> (attachments) on the machines of the recipients of these
> messages.
>
>Plain text is how your messages should be formatted when sending Email
>to mailing lists and Usenet newsgroups or to any other recipient.
>Though this rule is not yet cast in "Netiquette" stone, it is a good
>policy to follow if you want quick and informative responses to your
>questions and wish to avoid being "flamed" as a clueless newbie.
>
>HTML is meant for the WWW; not for mailing lists, Usenet newsgroups
>postings, proper business Email correspondence and preferably not for
>personal Email unless the recipient is expecting it.
>
>MIME encoded mail is used to send attachments that consist of
>pictures, sound files, spreadsheets, word-processing documents, zip
>files, or other binary files to recipients that have use the same
>operating system, the same word processing program and a common Email
>program such as Eudora, Pegasus, Netscape, or Outlook.
>
>These types of files are not wanted on mailing lists, Usenet
>newsgroups postings, business Email correspondence, and preferably not
>for personal Email unless the recipient is expecting it.
>
>
>Turning Off HTML or MIME
>
>There are now a variety of HTML/MIME programs, including but not limited to:
>
> Agent/Free Agent
> AOL
> Eudora Light v3.0.6
> Eudora Light v3.0.5 and earlier
> Eudora Pro v4.0.2 and earlier
> MS Internet Explorer 4.0 and 5.0
> MS Exchange
> Other MS Mail problems
> Novell Groupwise
> WINMAIL.DAT attachments
> Equal signs at end of lines
> ISO 8859-1 or other character sets
> Netscape Communicator 4.5, 4.6, 4.7
> Netscape Communicator 4.0x - 4.4x
> Netscape Communicator 3.xx
> Outlook 2000
> Outlook Express 4.0 and 5.0
> Outlook 97 (without Service Release 1 SR1)
> Outlook 97 (with Service Release 1 SR1)
> Outlook 98 (Work group version)
> Outlook 98 (Internet version)
> Pegasus Mail 3.x
> Pegasus Mail 4.x
> Pine (Unix)
> TheBat! v1.xx
>
>=-=-=Last Revised: May 30, 2000
>
>If your e-mail program is on this list, you can get instructions
>from this web page.
>http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/1236/nomime.html
>
>If your e-mail program is not on this list, check the web page
>anyway. The site is updated as the owner gets more information.
>
Camilla Flintermann, CG for Peter 82/70/55
Oxford, Ohio
<[log in to unmask]>
on the web at http://members.tripod.lycos.nl/genugten/flinterm.htm
and also at http://www.geocities.com/camillahf/index.html
>
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Caregivers of Parkinsonians ! "
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