The following header lines retained to affect attribution:
|Date: Mon, 13 Oct 1997 13:06:34 +0200
|Reply-To: Mailing list for the LaTeX3 project
|From: Hans Aberg <[log in to unmask]>
|Subject: MILDLY OFF TOPIC (Was: [WILDLY OFF TOPIC] (LaTeX & email))
|To: Multiple recipients of list LATEX-L
...
| :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)
| Remember that the typeset output of TeX and LaTeX is the old times GUI;
|the only difference is that it is not interactive. In mathematics, one
|started to use that, because it can be used to better communicate the
|logical contents.
One of the reasons that I like and use LaTeX (and sometimes
even the underlying TeX) is that they are _not_ GUIs. Rather,
their _output_ is graphical in nature. They work quite well
on my ancient, non-GUI computer systems. They work quite well
in a similar manner, without wasting extensive computer resources
continually updating a WYSIWYG graphics display, on my SGI
workstation at work.
| So, if you hate GUI's so much, why do not strip all that graphical out of
|TeX and LaTeX too; it would simplify the discussions in this group
|enormously -- they would not be needed. :-)
Just as GUI interfaces are not needed and in my case not wanted
for the input side of LaTeX and Tex, GUIs are inappropriate for
electronic mail when those GUIs prevent access to the content
for some of the audience.
Sweden has been for quite some time a leader in adapting public
systems, such as electronic mail and public sidewalks, so that
they are accessable and usable by all.
The request for text lines of less than 80 characters is similar
in spirit to a request to place wheelchair ramps onto sidewalks
at intersections.
I would prefer that extensive mark-up language be left out of
electronic mail messages. Sometimes some mark up is necessary
to facilitate making one's point.
The issues of quoted-printable and base 64 encoding are separate;
but related issues. The electronic mail systems were designed
in North America using the _7-bit_ ASCII character which has little
to no provision for national characters of many languages using
Latin characters and no provision whatsoever for languages which
require wider characters. Please remember that some 7-bit links
still exist and are in use. It is for these reasons that quoted-
printable (the form with all the equal signs) and base 64 encoding
(the form that resembles line noise) which are the MIME encodings
that permit the transport of electronic mail over such 7-bit
communications links without damage. They were designed to permit
the safe transport of electronic mail over communications links
that were designed for North American communication needs. MIME
is the ``wheelramps'' for these nation languages.
The electronic mail standards are being changed to permit the
safe transport of 8-bit electronic mail which will the tranport
of most non ideographic languages directly. Then the ``only''
problem will be the generation and display of these messages.
| :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)
| Hans Aberg
| * AMS member listing: <http://www.ams.org/cml/>
| * Email: Hans Aberg <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
Randolph J. Herber, [log in to unmask], +1 630 840 2966,
CD/OSS/CDF CDF-PK-149F Mail Stop 318
Fermilab, Kirk & Pine Rds., P.O. Box 500, Batavia, IL 60510-0500.
(Speaking for myself and not for US, US DOE, FNAL nor URA.)
(Product, trade, or service marks herein belong to their respective owners.)
N 41 50 26.3 W 88 14 54.4 and altitude 700' approximately, WGS84 datum.
``The lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne.'' - Chaucer
|