MIMETextHTML.2.0.README

README for MIMETextHTML v2.0; beta release; 4 November 1999

This bundle adds support to Mail.app for displaying TEXT/HTML mail messages.


DESCRIPTION

Since NEXTSTEP 3.3 predates the addition of the TEXT/HTML content type to the
MIME specification, the Mail.app program cannot understand how to display these
MIME messages correctly.  If you install MIMETextHTML.bundle in one of the
standard directories, Mail.app will dynamically load the code to handle this
format and convert the data to something that looks like an enriched MIME
message.


COST, COPYRIGHT, & DISTRIBUTION

Version 2.0 of MIMETextHTML.bundle is free.  The copyright is retained by Sound
Consulting.  Distribution on Internet accessible ftp and http sites is allowed,
but you may not charge for downloads of this software.  In addition, you are
not allowed to include copies on permanent media such as CD-ROM even if there
is no charge.


BACKGROUND

Were it not for a "bug" in Mail.app, the lack of TEXT/HTML support would not be
so bad.  There are many MIME formats that Mail.app does not understand, and
these are usually rendered as if they were TEXT/PLAIN.  Mail.app is even smart
enough to pick the best alternative of a multipart MIME message.  However, when
Mail.app sees TEXT/HTML, it decides to treat that section as TEXT/PLAIN, but
then still prefers to show the TEXT/HTML section instead of any TEXT/PLAIN
section, even if one appears in the multipart MIME message.  If Mail.app did
not have this "bug," then we would at least see the true TEXT/PLAIN section for
multipart MIME messages.  NOTE: There are still a lot of MIME messages out
there which have no alternative sections, and only include TEXT/HTML.  These
would look horrible even if Mail.app did not have the "bug" described above.


SUPPORT

CPU:  NeXT, Intel, Hewlett-Packard PA_RISC, Sun SPARC
OS:   NEXTSTEP 3.3, Patch 2
OS:   OPENSTEP 4.2, Patch 4


CAVEATS

* Images and Buttons are not currently rendered.  You will see the Alternate
text instead.
* You cannot click on "anchors" or links.
* Justification (right, center, etc.) is not perfect yet.
* There has only been minimal testing of this bundle with Mail.app in OPENSTEP.
* If you want to view your message with full browser support, use the "Show Raw
Message" Menu item and copy and paste the raw HTML into OmniWeb.  Likewise, you
can implement a Terminal Services item with the following:
cd /tmp; cat > message.html; open message.html
Make sure the settings Accept Plain text and Files, with Use Selection As Input,
and Execution as Run Service in the Background, Discard Output, and Fast
C-shell.
* Remember that there may still be a bug in Mail.app which allows only one of
the standard directories (~/Library/Mail, /LocalLibrary/Mail, /NextLibrary/Mail)
to have more than one bundle.


HISTORY

   MIMETextHTML v1.0; alpha release; 5 April 1999
The alpha release of MIMETextHTML was designed for NEXTSTEP 3.3, Patch 1.
Version 1.0 of MIMETextHTML is not compatible with the Y2K update from Apple,
called NEXTSTEP 3.3 Patch 2.  The primary purpose of v2.0 is to provide
compatibility with the Y2K version of Mail.app (incidentally, this makes
OPENSTEP support easier).  Look to future versions of the MIMETextHTML bundle
for features that you suggest.


LOCATION

See MIMETextHTML.2.0.NIHS.b.tar in this directory.


CONTACT

Comments, bug reports, and suggestions should be sent to:

Sound Consulting <mailto:Sound_Consulting@Sounds.wa.com>
NeXTmail preferred, MIME, HTML, and ASCII compatible.