[ltp] Re: Google Group

Kevin Brubeck Unhammer linux-thinkpad@linux-thinkpad.org
Fri, 18 Jan 2013 13:26:11 +0100


Ajai Khattri <ajai@bitblit.net> writes:

> On Thu, 17 Jan 2013, Sandro wrote:

[...]

>> Github is so much better than bugzilla because you don't have to *read* a
>> single letter, you can just glance at the screen without glasses and see
>> what part is quote. Different shade. What part is code. Different type-set.
>> It's color-coded. And they didn't do that to annoy the open source tech
>> people. No, they all agree it's more convenient.
>
> Actually many email programs (both GUI and non-GUI) often highlight quoted 
> text in different colors / shades - you dont need HTML markup to do that. 
> Even terminals have color :-)

Some examples:

- mutt
  https://lh3.ggpht.com/-sIgS_YV7aAA/TtoaDbpyU9I/AAAAAAAAAfY/YoMoOZ7ocUA/s1600/mutt.png
- gnus
  https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/Gnus_5.9_groups-summary-article_X11.png
- wanderlust
  https://lh3.ggpht.com/_kGFGcbwevHE/Si1ajctajoI/AAAAAAAAAaw/VnA_PZBsIOk/s1600/Screenshot-emacs%40mindcrime.png

The kind of colours and markup shown here is possible _because_ the email
is plain text formatted. That makes it possible for the email client to
see "this line is quoted, this line is double-quoted", and colour it the
way the reader wants it (rather than how the sender expected the reader
to want it).

With HTML mail, you're forced to accept the model of
one-size-sort-of-fits (a recent web browser and great eyesight
required).


-- 
Kevin Brubeck Unhammer