Re: Citation processing in HTML articles?

[Emanuel Berg]

Dave Abrahams <dave@boostpro.com> writes:

> I can write a citation-coloring-and-hiding
> postprocessor for Gnus myself if I have to
> but I was hoping someone already solved
> this problem.

Isn't this achieved with:

    (setq gnus-treat-hide-citation t)

and then setting the faces:

    gnus-cite-1
    gnus-cite-2
    gnus-cite-...
    gnus-cite-attribution

?

> No, I just don't want to have to go through
> the process of hunting for the right
> combination of mime buttons and article
> washing necessary to make an article
> readable.

Gnus can to a certain extent make crappy
messages look good. But if the messages are
good to begin with, they'll look good in Gnus
with no intervention to it.

The hiding of citations, and replacing them
with button so they can be expanded if need be,
this is not washing but a convenient way of
getting less text to bother you, while still
have it readily available.

> There are lots of reasons not to use a more
> “traditional” mail client than Gnus, but at
> least they tend to make more of the messages
> quite readable without user intervention.

Can you provide us with examples of messages
that Gnus makes less readable? I don't think
Gnus does that - more likely *the messages* are
crappy beyond help to begin with, and with
efforts Gnus can be made to make them look
somewhat better.

> And I don't show the MIME buttons by
> default, FWIW.

Which are those? The attachment buttons?
Why would you want to hide them?

> I'm not judgemental about which technologies
> are good, at least not in this domain.
> People sometimes use HTML to express things
> that doen't translate well to plain text.

HTML, LaTeX, groff, etc. should be used for
persistent documents that are public and
refered to (manuals for example).

Mails should never be in HTML or anything else
but plain text, which is always sufficient, or
in 99% of the cases, and if isn't, the solution
is to make a HTML (or whatever) document, put
it on the Internet, and refer to the URL in the
mail, using plain text only.

> And as you say, it doesn't help at all to
> wish people used different technology. I have
> to live in the real world.

IMO it is only frustrating to deal with crappy
technology or crappy use of good technology.
And when the result turns out crappy as well
people won't buy you telling them it was
because of the crappy technology, because that
sounds like making up excuses.

What do you think would happen if you throw
a bunch of 30-year old worn-out skates, sticks,
and equipment to an NHL team? "Hey, don't be so
choosy! I live in the real world and not all
sticks are perfect." They would never accept
it, partly because the result would suck and
even worse they would look like fools trying.
Why should you demand less than they,
especially as the best software in the world -
contrary to sports gear - is free och charge
and readily available to anyone?

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