ietf-822
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Re: RFC 2047 and gatewaying

2003-01-10 20:12:20

In <20030109201538(_dot_)86463(_dot_)qmail(_at_)cr(_dot_)yp(_dot_)to> "D. J. 
Bernstein" <djb(_at_)cr(_dot_)yp(_dot_)to> writes:

Here's a better transition plan:

  (1) Teach every message reader to accept UTF-8 in message/rfc822.
      Some readers do this already.
  (2) Allow message writers to generate UTF-8 in message/rfc822.

It's not a question of "allowing" them to generate such thing. The plain
fact of the matter is that they WILL write such things.

No, that is not right either. They already ARE writing such things, and
they are not going to stop just because the IETF wrings its hands.

The _real_ problem is that they are not using UTF-8. They are using
whatever character set they fancy, and too bad if the recipient cannot
guess which it is. There is just a chance that, if some coherent plan were
to be laid out involving the use of UTF-8, it _might_ just be in time to
stop the rot. But it will not be stopped by continually preaching RFC
2047/2232/punycode/whatever-the-next-fudge-is to them.

However, that is a problem for the email community. My concern is to see
that Usenet does not get dragged down into the same pit, by laying out a
coherent plan for Usenet.

Yes, fixing this situation for either Usenet or for Email is going to
cause some pain, but sooner or later that pain is gping to have to be
faced. Better to do it sooner, and try to minimize it so far as can be.
But do not kid yourselves that it can be avoided. It cannot.

-- 
Charles H. Lindsey ---------At Home, doing my own thing------------------------
Tel: +44 161 436 6131 Fax: +44 161 436 6133   Web: http://www.cs.man.ac.uk/~chl
Email: chl(_at_)clw(_dot_)cs(_dot_)man(_dot_)ac(_dot_)uk      Snail: 5 
Clerewood Ave, CHEADLE, SK8 3JU, U.K.
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