Re: Encoding italic

On Thu, Jan 31, 2019 at 02:21:40PM +0000, James Kass via Unicode wrote:
> David Starner wrote,
> > The choice of using single-byte character sets isn't always voluntary.
> > That's why we should use ISO-2022, not Unicode. Or we can expect
> > people to fix their systems. What systems are we talking about, that
> > support Unicode but compel you to use plain text? The use of Twitter
> > is surely voluntary.
>
> This marketing-related web page,
>
> https://litmus.com/blog/best-practices-for-plain-text-emails-a-look-at-why-theyre-important
>
> ...lists various reasons for using plain-text e-mail.

They're only from a spammer's point of view.

> Besides marketing, there’s also newsletters and e-mail discussion groups. 
> Some of those discussion groups are probably scholarly. Anyone involved in
> that would likely embrace ‘super cool Unicode text magic’ and it’s
> surprising if none of them have stumbled across the math alphanumerics yet.

Then there are technical mailing lists. In particular, on every single list
other than Unicode I'm subscribed to, a HTML-only mail would get you flamed
by several list members; even a plain+HTML alternative can get you an
earful.

Then there's LKML and other lists hosted at vger, where a mail that as much
as has a HTML version attached will get outright rejected at mail software
level.

After 2½ decades of participating mailing in mailing lists, I got aversion
to HTML mails burned in as a kind of involuntary reflex. Upon seeing Asmus'
mails, the ingrained reflex kicks in, I start getting upset, only to realize
what list I'm reading and that it's him who's a regular here, not me.

So even when in principle adding such features would be possible, many
communities decide to prefer interoperability over newest types of bling.
Some prefer top-posted HTML mails, some prefer Twitter, some Unicode plain
text, some perhaps want plain ASCII only.

> It’s true that people don’t have to use Twitter.  People don’t have to turn
> on their computers, either.

And sometimes they use a Braille reader or a text console.

Meow!

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