Re: Re: Manual line breaks in emails

On 3/25/26 1:34 PM, Dale wrote:
> I think it would be nice if email clients sent unwrapped.

It can to an extent.

RFC 5321 - Simple Mail Transfer Protocol § 4.5.3.1.6 - Text Line states

> The maximum total length of a text line including the is 1000 
> octets (not counting the leading dot duplicated for transparency). 
> This number may be increased by the use of SMTP Service Extensions.

So, email clients can send lines unwrapped up to 998 characters, leaving 
room for the <CR><LF>.

But lines longer than 998 characters MUST be wrapped or be in violation 
of the RFC 5321 which is still the most recent RFC specifying SMTP.

So if you're going to have to wrap a line at some point, why not do it 
at a point that is backwards compatible?

> Leave it as written, if even the client wraps for the sender to view 
> while typing it in.  Then when it is sent, the sent folder copy wraps 
> as requested by the sender for local viewing.  Likely the same setting 
> as when a email is received as well.  When a email client receives 
> a email on the other end, it then wraps according to the setting of 
> the email client of the person receiving the email.  This can happen 
> on desktops, laptops, cell phones, tablets or any other device with 
> a email client.

format=flowed effectively does that.  The only difference being that the 
email source is backwards compatible instead of potentially violating RFCs.

> If it was done this way, the person sending can view as they wish,

format=flowed does that

> the person receiving can view and read as they wish.

format=flowed does that

> If a person is on a desktop or laptop, or even a tablet thingy, that 
> has a wider screen, they can view it wide or narrow as they see fit.

format=flowed does that

> They can also view it on a cell phone with a view mode that works 
> for that device.

format=flowed does that

> By doing it this way, everybody will be happy.
Yep.  Everybody should be happy if they let format=flowed do it's thing.

> Senders can have their settings.

format=flowed does that

> Receivers can have there view settings that work on the device they 
> are using at the time.

format=flowed does that

> They can even have different settings for each device based on the 
> display size.

format=flowed does that

> Given the large number of email clients tho, I doubt this will ever 
> happen.

format=flowed has an ace up it's sleeve in that it's been a thing for 30 
years now.

> Even if someone who could start this process thought it was a nifty 
> idea and read this, getting other email client devs to make their 
> client work this way could take ages.

Thank you Eudora for pioneering format=flowed and bringing it to the 
masses in the mid '90s.

> Basically, the only purpose of the return/enter/new line key would be to 
> make new paragraphs.

Yep.

With an email client that's using format=flowed, you only use the return 
/ enter / new line key when you actually want a new line.

> I can only imagine the problems this method might solve.

Yep.  format=flowed solved those 30 years ago.

> Of course, it might cause other problems as well that I'm not aware of.

I'm not aware of format=flowed causing any problems.  And I've been a 
strong advocate of it for the last 15 years.

> It sounds like a good idea tho.

Yes, the idea you describe is a very good idea.

The idea that you describe is called format=flowed.

> If the email clients on each device handles wrapping according to 
> the individual device settings, everyone gets what they want.

Yep.  format=flowed does exactly this.

> Now someone come up with a list of problems this would cause that I'm 
> clueless about.  ROFL

The only problem that I'm aware of with format=flowed is people that 
disable it.

Even people using clients that don't support it aren't a problem.  The 
emails just look like someone hard wrapped the lines.  They are still 
perfectly readable.

format=flowed emails look like a hard wrapped line to clients that don't 
support it.

IMHO the answer is format=flowed.  Use it.  Don't disable it.  Move on 
with your life.



-- 
Grant. . . .