Re: OT: Flamebait: Text vs HTML email
On Wed, Jul 24, 2002 at 02:24:03PM -0700, Craig Dickson wrote:
> Ron Johnson wrote:
>
> > Please set your Mozilla "create email" window to wrap at
> > column 72. That also is "standard". (So that multiple
> > replies don't cause line to exceed column 72, I keep my
> > lines to 65 columns, but that's just preference...)
>
> The point of limiting original text to 72 columns is that you can have a
> few layers of reply text before the original gets pushed out past 80
> columns. There's nothing at all objectionable about quoted lines being
> longer than 72 columns; it's 80 columns that's the real limit, because
> some people still read mail in 80-column console mode (or, as in my
> case, an 80-column-wide xterm).
YES, 72 columns has practical value for e-mail. But why not 71 nor 73?
When I ponder where it came from, I can recall my old days of punching
IBM main frame punch cards. 80 columns per card. Last 8 columns were
reserved for serial card number (or line number) so I can drop card
stack and still be able to sort them back to the original state.
72 = 80 - 8
Usually FORTRAN program should fit in 72 column too.
I think that affinity to 72 columns may come from these old computer
habits. (DEC VT-100 terminal which LINUX console emulates is another
example which has 80 column.)
--
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Osamu Aoki @ Cupertino CA USA
See "User's Guide": http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/users-guide/
See "Debian reference": http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-reference/
"Debian reference" Project at: http://qref.sf.net
I welcome your constructive criticisms and corrections.
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