RE: *** ADMIN: HTML Messages

[Bob Crothers <bob@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Glenn,

And there are also those who have HTML capable Email but for security 
reasons do not want to turn it on.

I do not know if it can be done, but what if the "browser" that 
displays the email brings down an active x control that does nasty's 
to your system?  Or what mode does Java run in when done via Email? 
 Is it an applet that must live in the "sand box"?  Or an Application 
that can do what it wants?

By only accepting text, I chose when to "execute" stuff that comes 
over my Email.  Not the sender.

On another list I am on (of very technical people, it is the MSVC MFC 
mailing list) they have been having a problem with the HAPPY99 virus. 
 The Happy99 comes across as uu-encoded so the list restrictions on 
attachments are not invoked.  One person (on a list of over 600) 
executed this program.  Happy99 hooks into your WinSock.dll and 
watches the SMTP traffic...when it sees it and an new "to" address, it 
sends itself to that recipient.

Lets say that recipient is my wife.  She trusts anything I send to 
her.  So she executes.  Now she would be infected.  Nasty.

So, if Midrange-L goes to HTML email, I will continue doing what I do 
now.  Any HTML email's get deleted right away.  I do not look at or 
respond to them.  Some might say that for me, this is a good 
thing....but I do know I've helped at least one or two out with my 
replies.

I STRONGLY urge:  No HTML email on Midrange-L.

Can the above actually happen right now?  I don't know.  But I don't 
want to find out the hard way either.  HTML does not add anything to 
the content of an Email.  Why take the chance?

Regards,
Bob Crothers
Cornerstone Communications, LLC
www.faxserver401.com

another day done
all targets met
all systems fully operational
all customers satisfied
all staff keen and motivated
all pigs fed and ready to fly...



-----Original Message-----
From:   Glenn Gundermann [SMTP:ggundermann@rachisholm.com]
Sent:   Monday, March 22, 1999 12:06 PM
To:     MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
Subject:        Re: *** ADMIN: HTML Messages

David,

When you say "not everyone", what percentage of the list do you mean?

Why don't you create a poll to find out how many people use what 
browser.  Of
those that don't support html and have the capability to upgrade to a 
version
that does;  when do they expect to upgrade or why they don't upgrade.

Glenn Gundermann
Ronald A. Chisholm Limited
Toronto

David Gibbs wrote:

> Folks:
>
> I have to INSIST that nobody send HTML only formatted messages to 
the
> list.  Not everyone has a mail client that can parse HTML for 
formatting.
>
> Plaintext is the only message format that is acceptable.
>
> I really don't want to have to set the mailing list software to 
reject HTML
> messages, but I will if necessary.
>
> david

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