Subject: 8bit messages.

From: Jan Erik Kofoed <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 27 May 1994 12:53:55 +0200 (MET DST)

I have been a user of PINE for some time. A really nice program, put I 
have a problem I would like to discuss.

When using a 8bit character set such as ISO-8859/1, PINE transfers the 8bit 
characters into MIME qouted printable and adds the header:
Content-Transfer-Encoding: QOUTED-PRINTABLE.

In Europe most of the MTAs are capable of handling 8bit mail directly,
without the need for the UA to code it into 7bit. Not all UAs have MIME
capability and it would be nice if PINE as a UA could be configured to not
code 8bit messages leaving the problem to the MTAs (sendmail etc.) The
correct header would then be: Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8BIT

Is it possible to configure PINE so it does not code 8bit messages, or 
is this considered as an feature to come in any new versions?
The best functionality would be to implement a switch so it is possible 
to toggle between coding / not coding 8bit characters. Based on the 
knowledge of the receiver one could choose the best option.

- Jan Erik.

*** Jan Erik Kofoed                       Phone (office): +47 73 90 44 20 ***
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---

From: [email-masked] (Barry Bouwsma)
Date: Fri, 27 May 1994 09:33:36 -0400

>correct header would then be: Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8BIT

    There is a difference between being able to blindly pass along 8-bit
data, and being smart enough to convert it to an appropriate 7-bit encoding.
This is what the ESMTP 8BITMIME in the MTA is for.  If you can talk to
a sendmail and it claims support of 8BITMIME, then it is okay to pass
8-bit data to it, otherwise, you have no guarantee it is okay.
    The way Pine might be able to do this is to be set up as an ESMTP
client, talking to a server, perhaps the same machine.  If Pine can
tell that the MTA will properly convert the mail when talking to an
"unsafe" sendmail -- i.e., supports 8BITMIME, then Pine could pass
along an 8-BIT or BINARY message.

>is this considered as an feature to come in any new versions?

    I have been told this feature will be provided in a later Pine.

    I also made the claim a few weeks ago in the pine-info mailing list
that BSD v8 Sendmail supported 8BITMIME among its ESMTP, but I was
wrong -- it does not.  I am aware of at least one 8BITMIME-aware MTA
in use on a system with Pine, the new Zmailer.  Note that, while a
sendmail may be configured to pass 8-bit data, that is not sufficient
for use of 8-BIT encoding -- it must be able to convert to an alternative
encoding when necessary, and the only mailers that can do that speak
ESMTP 8BITMIME.

--
  Barry Bouwsma, back in Michigan, wishes he were in Europe
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Unemployed System Cracker and Unix Administrator, seeking work, food,
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