I thought the goal was to define a format that would gain quick acceptance
and use. RICHTEXT is limited to a small community with the resources
to implement small conversion or display programs. Those using PC-based
or Office Automation Tools are left with no simple solution.
I don't think the richness of RTF is a barrier to this goal. From what
I understand of RTF, the syntax is simple. Therefore, I could easily
implement a filter which threw away everything but a few key commands
I can render on my printer or terminal (bold, italics, 1.45 angstrom
spacing). Further, I can feed the entire document to my favorite
word processor and benefit from richness that is available.
Specifying a text format in the RFC is worthwhile for all the reasons
Nathaniel outlined. But I think it should be restricted to identifying
the format, and not defining a new one.
Note that the Microsoft RTF format is available somewhere via anonymous
FTP. Anyone know where?