Derek Martin <inva...@pizzashack.org> wrote on Wed, 31 Aug 2022 at 19:35:15 EDT in <20220831233515.gf13...@bladeshadow.org>:
> > I don't really think we're flouting the standards. > ... > So it IS only a recommendation, not a requirement--but it's a pretty > strong recommendation, and either way you're still flouting it. No. Flouting a recommendation in a standard is not flouting the standard. Pleae don't twist my words. (If you want to be pedantic, you may accuse me of flouting a SHOULD recommendation within a standard, and I will admit to it, but I think such a contextless admission misses the point.) Evaluating the strength of a SHOULD requires looking at pragmatic realities. And that reality is that lots of messages are sent without hard line wraps. Furthermore, if the choice were between standards-compliance and readable emails by more recipients, most of us would choose the pragmatic choice of readable emails. That's not to say we are faced with such a stark choice -- it is far more nuanced and a matter of opinion and individual judgment. Also, RFC5322 is not intended to be a standard that governs what user should do. It's for MTAs and MUAs and other mail software. That, of course, speaks to the nuanced and pragmatic analysis. -- jh...@alum.mit.edu John Hawkinson
