Re: HTML for email

[Nico Williams <[e-mail]>]

On Mon, Mar 01, 2021 at 10:34:01AM -0800, Benjamin Kaduk wrote:
> On Mon, Mar 01, 2021 at 05:24:48PM +0000, tom petch wrote:
> > On 01/03/2021 14:22, Phillip Hallam-Baker wrote:
> > > Yes HTML is a disaster for email. But so is plaintext wrapped at 66
> > > characters by the server because people didn't know better.
> > >
> > > The reasons HTML is a disaster are
> > >
> > > 1) There is no standard for HTML in email.
> > > 2) HTML has been turned into a presentation format.
> > > 3) Email messages used annotations for a decade before HTML which doesn't
> > > support them
> > > 4) The SMTP email infrastructure does not provide a viable means of knowing
> > > what formats are accepted by a recipient so there is no way to fix this.
> > 
> > And breaks privacy.  I find it ironic that the IETF seems to devote 
> > forests to combating a slight possibility of privacy being impaired, 
> > something that I see bordering on an obsession, but actively supports 
> > HTML e-mail which drives a coach and horses through privacy.
> 
> I don't think I understand what you refer to by "actively supports HTML
> e-mail".  Could you please clarify?

To me it was clear that Tom meant "some IETF participants", not
something more formal like that the IAB has said HTML email is awesome
or whatever.