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Re: How to display format=flowed (and other topics)?



On Thu, Oct 13, 2005 at 07:56:48AM +0200, Thomas Roessler wrote:
> On 2005-10-12 14:42:55 -0400, Derek Martin wrote:
> 
> > The problem, Thomas, is that you are making a completely
> > arbitrary decision as to what is the most readable, and forcing
> > it on the users.
> 
> The decision is roughly as arbitrary as the decision to have columns
> in newspapers, or the decision in the format=flowed spec not to make
> lines longer than some 72 (?) characters when displayed unflowed.
> Hint: These decisions are generally based on the experience that
> shorter lines are much easier to read than longer lines.

It doesn't matter one iota what the decision is based on.  The point
is that some people don't like it, and it should be quite simple to
change, but you've made it impossible.  All this bit about testing is
really quite irrelevant.  If someone wants to open an xterm
full-screen and expects mutt to flow text across the whole width of
their screen, there's absolutely no reason whatsoever mutt shouldn't
be able to do that, besides your own stubborn insistance that no one
should want to.  

> I'm hearing "IF a user wants", and "it's not correct not to use the
> full width of the screen when the original message is
> format=flowed." 

I didn't say it wasn't correct, though I'm definitely inclined to
think that behavior is appropriate (and probably expected by most
people who are familiar with the idea from other mailers)...  I said
the maximum width to flow should be configurable, for those who want
it that way, since it's a simple change and harms no one.

> I don't think I've heared anyone seriously argue that they would
> actually like to read their e-mail wrapped at column 132 (or
> whatever).

Thomas Z most certainly did, or else why are we even talking about
this?

-- 
Derek D. Martin    http://www.pizzashack.org/   GPG Key ID: 0xDFBEAD02
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