Can’t go wrong with plain text

Author: Lyndell

28 Jul

I tried Microsoft’s Outlook Express successor, Windows Mail Live Desktop Edition, what ever that thing was called. That was just too garish. Microsoft is chasing Apple. While Apple was criticized for being cartoony, called a gum drop interface and parodies as the iFruit, Microsoft produced what I consider a garish interface with Windows Mail. See also What You Expected, What You Got (WYE, WYG)

Sometimes sticking to the simple is better. I like the idea of HTML email for light formatting, clean rewrapping of text in e-mail. However, OE will display plaintext in a larger font size is so configured. It, like IE, won’t enlarge some HTML text. Besides, there a retro/geeky coolness to plaintext. Maybe it’s nostalgia for the command line. You can even get plain text WordPress themes at Plaintxt.org. There are even themes inspired by the BASH (Bourne Again SHell) commandline.

Ironic, when Windows 3.1 came out, I went and got it thinking it’s the future of computing. Yeah, it is and companies who didn’t jump on the bandwagon got left behind in the complacency in competence, like Novell and Word Perfect. However, I prefer Linux at work for the convenience of the command line. It has many handy utilities, too. Too bad RFC 1523 a light weight compromise between HTML and plaintext didn’t catch on. I think Apple Mail supported it, but apparently Apple dropped it, boosting about it’s glitzy email stationary. HTML does pretty up URL. Markdown is a markup syntax that provides readable plaintext, marked up for converting to HTML. BBcode may be familiar to those on discussion boards, but it’s not as readable.

Here are some plaintext signatures from the ASCII Ribbon Compaign.

()  ascii ribbon campaign - against html e-mail
/\  www.asciiribbon.org   - against proprietary attachments

                       _
ASCII ribbon campaign ( )
 against HTML e-mail   X
                      / \

O< ascii ribbon campaign - stop html mail - www.asciiribbon.org

And an argument against HTML email

Filed under: Computing

3 Responses for "Can’t go wrong with plain text"

Dustin S. July 28th, 2008 at 9:06 pm 1
I am all for text based stuff. I prefer command line to and GUI. Most of the best games I have played have been text based. as a matter of fact here is a little ascii art for this comment.
```
OXXX}{::::::::::> <::::::::::}{XXXO
```
John Wheeler August 2nd, 2008 at 8:32 am 2
Man, the geekitude involved with this whole subject is awesome, although wait until I show you the marginal notes in Ginsburg’s Massoretico-Critical Edition of the Hebrew Bible (or worse still, those in the BHS Edition).

One man’s incomprehensibility is another man’s clarity, I guess.

WYE, WYG: Indeed, the last example was the best. Nothing quite like industrial-strength irony, is there?
Lyndell August 2nd, 2008 at 10:41 am 3
You missed the ASCII themes briefly displayed here. Good thing, because the Bash theme had invisible buttons. GEEX3M is sensible with visible buttons and black-on-white colors, but it’s not white-on-black, like the old green/amber/monochrome screens.