ietf-822
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: Getting RFC 2047 encoding right

2003-12-08 08:55:04

Now, to be kind and courteous that program should use the same subject 
field, perhaps prefaced by "Re: " (or "Auto: "), such that if the 
recipient threads based on subject, everything work, no matter whether 
the recipient supports RFC 2047 or not.

By and large, user agents should (or SHOULD) decode the RFC2047 stuff
before doing anything "clever" with the header.

Nope, user agents SHOULD NOT decode RFC 2047 except for display purposes.

However, one of the tasks the USEFOR WG is undertaking is a companion "Best
Current Practice" document, and in the initial draft for that I have
written that if you add a "Re: " to a Subject-header, then it SHOULD be in
the clear _before_ the start of any RFC 2047-encoded stuff. 

Yes, but this happens naturally if you just prepend "Re: " to whatever
subject happens to be in the message being replied to (encoded or not).

Best practice is propably to store the original, and decode it on the fly
whenever it is needed for humans.

right.

Keith