[Mailman-Users] Need to stop mailman

[Brad Knowles]

At 10:51 AM -0400 2006-08-25, Gary Hall wrote:

>  I have set up a "test" list that only has the names of the principles of
>  this mailing endeavor. We will first send out the adv to ourselves and
>  be sure the adv looks as we expect it too and not other problems crop
>  up. After the test run we will send out the adv to the main list. My
>  primary reason for this is to check out this guy's html code every time
>  - just in case.

Keep in mind that what looks fine to your MUA may not look good in 
some other.  This is the classic problem with HTML, especially as 
sent via e-mail, and most especially as that is processed and munged 
by mailing lists.

Think about any particular web page, but as viewed by any of a 
zillion different web browsers -- not just Microsoft, but also 
Mozilla, Opera, iCab, Nokia, PalmOS, and every single other browser 
in existence.  Now, multiply that problem by a factor of about a 
billion, because there are a lot of additional programs involved in 
the process that could munge the content beyond recognition.


Fundamentally, if you are depending on HTML being properly formatted 
and transmitted to your clients using Mailman, you are playing the 
e-mail equivalent of Russian Roulette.

-- 
Brad Knowles, <brad at stop.mail-abuse.org>

"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little
temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

     -- Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), reply of the Pennsylvania
     Assembly to the Governor, November 11, 1755

  Founding Individual Sponsor of LOPSA.  See <http://www.lopsa.org/>.