Dear Audrey
>can you help explain more as I don't really understand this.
I will have a go! I do not usually use Outlook Express, as you will
gather, so I may not be totally correct - if anyone knows better, please
post.
I know that this is not strictly on the topic of the list but I hope it may
lead to fewer technical problems associated with the list.
HTML is HyperText Markup Language. It is a text based code (in other
words, if you look at the code it uses familiar letters and symbols and
codes like B for bold) that is the basic code that is used to describe web
pages on the internet. It allows a wide range of fonts and formatting and
limited graphics - so if you receive a message that uses anything other
than a basic font and simple formatting - like this one - it is probably in
HTML (or occasionally it might be in RTF, Rich Text Formatting).
HTML has been extended to include other programming languages and these can
include executable code - in other words programmes that will run on your
computer. These can include viruses.
Since Outlook Express prefers to work with (defaults to) HTML if it
receives a message that is duplicated in HTML it just uses the HTML
version, it does not treat it as an attachment and you would see it as an
ordinary text message.
However, using HTML for e-mails is non-standard and most e-mail programmes
do not use it. Some cannot even read it as an attachment. Hence, in order
for Outlook Express HTML messages to be readable by other programmes they
have to be sent out as plain text with the HTML as an attachment, which is
how I receive them.
When you use the reply facility Outlook Express tends to reply in the same
format as the original message, which is why when you reply to me it comes
back in plain text without an attachment.
I hope this helps (and is reasonably accurate!)
John
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