Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2007 20:59:56 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Keith F. Lynch" <kfl at KeithLynch.net>
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Clarke & Sturgeon ... software laws
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>

"Michael Walsh" <MJW at press.jhu.edu> wrote:

> It appears that one of the email lists can deal with the "=0A=" and
> the like, the other list chokes and turns g/r/e/e/n plain text.

If people send oddly formatted email to the list, then subscribers to
the list will see oddly formatted email.  The list is simply passing
on the message as it was sent.  Nothing is choking or turning colors.

You should see some of the email that gets blocked from the list.
Just yesterday, one subscriber attempted to post the following, which
I quote in its entirety:
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==

And I've seen much worse than that.

Once again, I recommend that anyone whose mailer is sending
anything in weird formats see http://www.expita.com/nomime.html for
instructions on how to make it behave.  I suggest you do so for all
recipients, since more and more people are deleting all such email
unread, as are whole ISPs, and whole corporate or school intranets.