Winmail.da

[Simo Sorce]

On Tue, 19 Dec 2000, Vern H. Gill wrote:

> It has nothing to do with POSIX compliance, or SMTP compliance... It also
> has nothing to do with SMS. It, has nothing to do wither with base64. It has
> to do with another software company, just like many Linux distro vendors,
> trying to extend the functionality of their software. From the MS
> Knowledgebase;

The only little difference is that Linux distros use well documented
standards.

>
> When an end user sends mail to the Internet from an Exchange Windows or
> Outlook client, a file attachment called Winmail.dat may be automatically
> added to the end of the message if the recipient's client cannot receive
> messages in Rich Text Format (RTF). The Winmail.dat file contains Exchange
> Server RTF information for the message, and may appear to the recipient as a
> binary file. It is not useful to non-Exchange Server recipients.

So why this so smart exchange server send this winmail.dat file to
non-Exchange servers? If this client is so smart to recognize (how?) that
recipient client is not able to receive RTF it should be also so smart to
recon what kind of smtp server it is connecting to!

> More so than anything MS has done, it is users failing to understand the
> software they are using. The "broken" software can be "fixed" to not send
> this attachment, but it requires a little work fromt he user. And believe
> me, it isn't only MS software users that suffer this problem either. In the
> future, instead of being a "dumb little MS basher", or a "cooler because I
> use linux" idiot, do your research and find out what is REALLY going on...
> Oh, and if you want to try and flame me because I am a "Microsoft Whore" or
> whatever, don't bother. I have probably been in the xNix world longer than
> you have thought about being in it.. I just happen to appreciate some of the
> MS software, just as I appreciate some of the xNix software. One cannot do
> EVERYTHING the other can better...

Here it is not in doubt that some MS software is appreciable or not, what
is in question is that MS every time that get a slight superior position
in market, try to impose non-standard formats with the old same EEE tactics.
You may not ask any new internet users to understand how internet works as
an experienced programmer or sysadm. Many. many, many users simply does
not ever know the attachments are code in a format, honestly they really
difficulty understand what the whole format thing is!
It is for this reason, that good software should use the most standard way
by default and let experienced users use the non standard way if they
really want!

That's all, it is not intended to begin a big flame, but I really hate
people that blindly protect unfair practices by big boss companies!

Simo.

-- 
Simo Sorce - Integrazione Sistemi Unix/Windows - Politecnico di Milano
E-mail: simo.sorce at polimi.it
Tel.int: 02 2399 2425 - Fax.int. 02 2399 2451
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Be happy, use Linux!