Re: [Pan-users] X-Pan-Internal headers

[Duncan]

On Fri 29 Nov 2002 15:50, Charles Kerr posted as excerpted below:
> On Fri, Nov 29, 2002 at 07:32:41PM +0000, Toby A Inkster wrote:
> 
> > Why not simply count the attribution as "new text" -- it is only likely
> > to be one line anyway.
>
> Because mostly quoted text is a warning, but only quoted text is an error,
> so Pan has to be able to distinguish between the two.

Aye!  ..And I'm sure we've all seen those posts with **NO** new text, and had 
to go back, searching the whole thing, to see if we missed something 
somewhere!  VERY frustrating!

(One of the reasons I've seen given for such is with text that isn't wrapped 
in some readers.  If they hit the reply button/hotkey, some readers wrap it 
then, although they don't in normal display.  Thus, users may hit reply, to 
read such a message, then hit send out of habit instead of close.  If such 
readers had a proper error or even warning, they'd probably realize what they 
did, and not send the empty followup.)

BTW, how much work would it be to have pan do TWO wrap widths, one for 
display, another for sending?  It seems such a waste to have half my body 
display window blank, with text wrapped at 7x characters, but despite the 
RFCs that specify readers must be able to handle lines up to 1000 chars, some 
folks with clueless readers that can't wrap -- yes, even text readers can 
wrap, Links/Lynx seem to do it quite well-- don't like my preferred display 
length of 120 chars or so.

IMO, given that the RFCs specify lines up to 1000 chars must be handled, and 
no real world display (with the possible exception of someone with three 21" 
monitors arranged horizontally <g>) can actually display that, it's up to the 
receiving end to set the line length as they like locally, if they don't like 
what was sent.  Unfortunately, a lot of readers don't/can't do that.  Even 
PAN can't send at one width and display at another unless the user turns 
wrapping off on display altogether.

-- 
Duncan
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little
temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." --
Benjamin Franklin