this post was submitted on 31 Mar 2021
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the fact that nobody knows how to email anymore. nobody knows how to bottom-post, nobody knows how to trim quoted messages, nobody knows that you should always use plain-text email.
i would add blame to Outlook and Gmail being predominant "client" that seem to push top-post replies versus the obviously superior-for-reading-flow bottom-posting.
i try to plain text reply as often as I can but having the ability to embolden important text is too beneficial
yes, i addressed that in another reply. personally, for emphasizing things in plaintext, i use
**Markdown**, which is actually pretty much universally understood.The worst is when markdown is automatically converted into rich text.
automatically
*automatically* ... there we go.
Wait, why should email always be plain text? HTML allows for formatting, images, links, and tables, which are crucial when communicating at work.
One may posit that your images, tables, and formatting may be better served as an attachment or linked webpage.
https://useplaintext.email/#why-plaintext
Thanks for the info. I like my colors and formatting, but I'll look into it further.
first, security: the web stack is almost impossible to implement securely. there will be vulnerabilities, which will be mercilessly exploited. second, privacy: tracking pixels and other spyware are everywhere in emails. third, accessibility: plaintext emails are a piece of cake for screen readers and braille displays, while HTML emails are a very mixed bag; and plaintext is universal. every email client, no matter how basic or esoteric, is able to display it.
Doesn't blocking external content in emails (like images) prevent the spyware from working?
yes, but there are still the problems of security and accessibility. blocking external content is a band-aid.
although a lot of this is email clients' fault. the developers of said email clients were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didnโt stop to think if they should, and now we're all stuck with bad defaults.