Thanks for that - it works!
Phil
On 15 Sep 2009, at 11:43, Harry Powell wrote:
> Hi
>
> Apple mail (which is what I think Phil uses) is a bit of a nuisance
> - there is no menu option to display plain text by default,
> apparently (IMWBW) - you have the option to view the current message
> in plain text, but you have to do this on a message-by-message basis.
>
> There is a non-menu option however. In a UNIX shell (i.e. on the
> command line) when Mail isn't running (because apparently when it
> exits it resets the defaults to what they were when it started)
> type -
>
> defaults write com.apple.mail PreferPlainText -bool TRUE
>
> I googled and found something about editing ~/Library/Preferences/
> com.apple.mail.plist (double click on the icon, don't try with emacs
> or vi...)and adding the following to the start of the first
> dictionary:-
>
> <key>PreferPlainText</key>
> <true/>
> But this is accompanied by a warning to make sure you know what you
> are "doing when playing around in the XML preference files". I
> don't, and I couldn't easily see what to do here.
> On 15 Sep 2009, at 11:24, Ian Tickle wrote:
>
>> Phil
>>
>> Nothing at all wrong with plain text for simple messages as you
>> say, but
>> if you want to communicate a complicated equation (particularly one
>> containing a lot of Greek letters and math symbols not in the
>> standard
>> ASCII set!) the HTML version is much cleaner and easier to
>> understand.
>> Obviously I would never try to send such an equation to the BB, I'm
>> talking about private messages. The problem is remembering to switch
>> back to plain text for run-of-the-mill messages (and knowing people's
>> sensitivities I always try to do that!). On my client admittedly the
>> option for plain text/HTML sending is in clear view, in a previous
>> version it was buried deep in the menu options and had to be selected
>> before you started to compose the message, and the same may well be
>> true
>> for other clients.
>>
>> The other point of course is that you're never going to be able to
>> stem
>> the tide! There will always be people who will use HTML even for
>> simple
>> messages, mostly through ignorance, and it seems to me that if the
>> HTML
>> version causes problems as it seems to be doing in your client,
>> then the
>> easiest solution is to adapt and select the 'by default view as plain
>> text' option.
>>
>> Cheers
>>
>> -- Ian
>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: [log in to unmask] [mailto:[log in to unmask]
>>> ]
>> On
>>> Behalf Of Phil Evans
>>> Sent: 15 September 2009 10:47
>>> To: [log in to unmask]
>>> Subject: Re: [ccp4bb] attachments
>>>
>>> There are two problems, I think
>>>
>>> 1. Sending a simple mail like this in anything other than plain text
>>> is wasteful, and also enforces the sender's way of displaying it on
>>> the reader, rather than following the reader's preference.
>>> (That may of course be appropriate in some cases where formatting is
>>> important, but not in this context)
>>>
>>> 2. Messages such as Norman's (and others), which seem to come from
>>> Outlook Express or Exchange Server, specify a font size 3D2
>>> (whatever
>>> that means) which comes out too small to read, at least for me
>>>
>>> The html line is:-
>>> <P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">
>>>
>>> <Luddite> What's wrong with plain text? </Luddite>
>>>
>>> Phil
>>>
>>> On 15 Sep 2009, at 10:34, Ian Tickle wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>> Phil
>>>>
>>>> I had this same problem a while ago, if you recall. Modern e-mail
>>>> clients sending a message in HTML format will almost certainly send
>> it
>>>> in 2 parts, the first a version converted to plain text and the
>> second
>>>> the original HTML version (and possibly other versions of the same
>>>> message). This is the 'MIME multipart alternative' e-mail standard
>>>> which is designed so that e-mail clients or users reading the
>> message
>>>> can choose the version they want to display. To quote from
>>>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIME#Alternative : "Systems can then
>>>> choose
>>>> the "best" representation they are capable of processing; in
>> general,
>>>> this will be the last part that the system can understand".
>>>>
>>>> So assuming your mail client is MIME-compatible (I would have
>> thought
>>>> that all modern clients are) there should be an option on your mail
>>>> reader (as there is on mine) to always display the plain text
>> version.
>>>>
>>>> Cheers
>>>>
>>>> -- Ian
>>>>
>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>> From: [log in to unmask] [mailto:owner-
>>>>> [log in to unmask]]
>>>> On
>>>>> Behalf Of Phil Evans
>>>>> Sent: 15 September 2009 09:59
>>>>> To: [log in to unmask]
>>>>> Subject: Re: [ccp4bb] attachments
>>>>>
>>>>> while we're on this topic, it would be nice also if messages were
>>>>> sent
>>>>> in plain text, not as html (like yours, Norman :-)), particularly
>> as
>>>>> these ones generally come out in a tiny font in my (Apple) mail
>>>>> reader, for some reason
>>>>>
>>>>> Phil
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On 15 Sep 2009, at 09:45, Stein, Norman (STFC,DL,CSE) wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> In the past month there have been several postings to the BB with
>>>>>> large
>>>>>> (100kB or more) attachments. Can I remind subscribers that it is
>> our
>>>>>> policy to discourage attachments as, amongst other things, they
>> can
>>>>>> cause mailboxes to fill at an alarming rate. A link to a website
>>>>>> carrying the data which would otherwise appear in the attachment,
>> is
>>>>>> more appropriate.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Norman Stein
>>>>>> CCP4
>>>>>>
>>>>>> --
>>>>>> Scanned by iCritical.
>>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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>>>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Disclaimer
>> This communication is confidential and may contain privileged
>> information intended solely for the named addressee(s). It may not
>> be used or disclosed except for the purpose for which it has been
>> sent. If you are not the intended recipient you must not review,
>> use, disclose, copy, distribute or take any action in reliance upon
>> it. If you have received this communication in error, please notify
>> Astex Therapeutics Ltd by emailing [log in to unmask]
>> and destroy all copies of the message and any attached documents.
>> Astex Therapeutics Ltd monitors, controls and protects all its
>> messaging traffic in compliance with its corporate email policy.
>> The Company accepts no liability or responsibility for any onward
>> transmission or use of emails and attachments having left the Astex
>> Therapeutics domain. Unless expressly stated, opinions in this
>> message are those of the individual sender and not of Astex
>> Therapeutics Ltd. The recipient should check this email and any
>> attachments for the presence of computer viruses. Astex
>> Therapeutics Ltd accepts no liability for damage caused by any
>> virus transmitted by this email. E-mail is susceptible to data
>> corruption, interception, unauthorized amendment, and tampering,
>> Astex Therapeutics Ltd only send and receive e-mails on the basis
>> that the Company is not liable for any such alteration or any
>> consequences thereof.
>> Astex Therapeutics Ltd., Registered in England at 436 Cambridge
>> Science Park, Cambridge CB4 0QA under number 3751674
>
> Harry
> --
> Dr Harry Powell, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, MRC Centre,
> Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0QH
>
>
>
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