Re: [nmh-workers] Change {encrypted} to %(encrypted) in mh-format

[Robert Elz]

    Date:        Thu, 16 May 2019 23:10:32 -0400
    From:        Ken Hornstein <address@hidden>
    Message-ID:  <address@hidden>

I view the "original MH" as more like the HDTV ads - we can do it
(except they couldn't) so let's advertise...   Not worth keeping.

  | Second ... encrypted messages are a little bit different than all other
  | messages is that they are an encapsulating type, where you have to decode
  | it to get the "true" mime type,

Yes.

  | and that decoding may require some sort of user interaction,

Doing almost anything with e-mail requires some sort of user interaction,
that's what nmh is all about - the means of interacting.   Parsing scan
listings to decide what to do for something automated is entirely the
wrong approach - anything doing that should be looking at the actual
messages, not the extract made by scan.

  | so you may very well want handle them differently.

Very possibly - I handle spam differently as well, but we have
no scan listing indicator for that one (even when spamassassin
has added a field to say the message is (probably) spam).

  | It's fair to point out that we don't know what a potential %(encrypted)
  | function escape should necessarily do just yet; I am just thinking ahead.

Sure, but it is more than what it does, but what it affects.  Sticking
in an empty function, and then using it as if it was a "does this field
exist" predicate (though not looking in the header for the info) might
turn out to be counter productive.   Better to design the function first
(if we ever need one) and then use it appropriately later.

  | I'll let you and Valdis fight THAT one out :-)

Pistols at dawn?   Ah no, SPAM attacks!

But no, no need to fight - that users can configure things to suit local
desires is what MH is all about.  If being able to spot HTML format mail
(I assume so it can simply be removed...) is useful to Valdis, then that's
fine.   (I read his message after I sent my previous reply.)

kre

ps: in MH land, it would be really nice if we could use the terminology
correctly, and remember that e-mail has exactly one header, which contains
several fields (some mandatory, some optional) and use the correct terms
when referring to each.