Re: [more] Why HTML mail is a bad idea [Was: Mozilla mail pl…

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Author: Kevin Brown
Date:  
To: plug-discuss
Subject: Re: [more] Why HTML mail is a bad idea [Was: Mozilla mail plain-text option]
> > ... under the title "The Web's 20 Worst Security Flaws" from
> > the SANS Institute.
> >
> >"Protection from malicious code, embedded in text of e-mail"
> >and
> >"Protection from Web Beaconing"
>
> Those are major reasons (among many) why I won't allow
> Outlook to run in my home, and rarely read messages from
> unscreened sources. I and my family have gotten mountains of
> email over the past 10+ years and we have not been bit.
> And as for web beacons, Mozilla has a most excellent feature :
> "Do not load remote images in Mail... messages". This is at:
> Edit > Preferences > Privacy & Security > Images.
>
> Neither of the above risks, involving unscrupulous senders,
> is relevant to the intelligent use of Mozilla's HTML compose
> feature to send meaningful formatting in rare cases when it can
> be useful.
>
> I have been doing messaging and documentation in plain-text
> mode for 35+ years, but I'm not too old to use a new tool; and
> HTML does in fact save some of my precious time now and then.
> Formatting can convey information more rapidly than words in
> certain cases. The fact that I've never inflicted any on *you* should
> tell you something, right?
>
> I prefer plain text because I happen to be comfortable communicating
> in words, but I see no point in a dogmatic pronouncement that HTML
> is "not necessary" after I have made productive use of it in my
> professional life. I have a libertarian streak, and tend to bristle at
> the ban-everything-that-can-be-abused or save-us-from-ourselves
> mentality that produces restrictions instead of well designed options,
> available on an exception basis.
>
> I just think Mozilla should make HTML easier to turn on as an exception
> *after* I have turned it off by default. That's not an endorsement of
> HTML, but rather seeking to make it more *practical* to use a good
> default. But I guess one stirs the hornet's nest by merely mentioning
> HTML in certain circles, even with all sorts of disclaimers.
>
> By the way, I looked on the Mozilla.org web site before opening
> this discussion. I did not find the mailing list where I should post
> suggestions, even though I found a similar list for Firefox before.
> Any pointer would be gratefully received ...


Like: http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewforum.php?f=40
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