Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!mailrus!b-tech!zeeff From: zeeff@b-tech.ann-arbor.mi.us (Jon Zeeff) Newsgroups: news.software.b Subject: Re: Time for 8 bit news, isn't it?????. Message-ID: Date: 24 Jul 90 14:56:11 GMT References: <1990Jul21.054016.10409@looking.on.ca> <1990Jul21.231352.6234@zoo.toronto.edu> <1990Jul22.062034.20896@looking.on.ca> Organization: Branch Technology Lines: 30 >header line must be added to classify article body types. Many body types >are possible, including: > ascii + underlining (current default) > extended ascii (international char sets, etc.) > rich text (of some format) > andrew message > non-interpreted binary (programs, etc.) > binary with text header > XXX format bitmap (gif, tif) > Maybe a digital audio type also. I like the idea of reading the next news article and having the news reader decide that is a gif file and automatically displaying the graphics. It might be useful to be able to mix types within an article (for example, graphics with text telling you what it is along with a binary to produce it). This would mean some imbedded esc sequences instead of a header line. Re character sets, ISO10646 sounds good but I'd hate to see news volume double (16 bit chars vs 8). Options for it and ISO8859/x sound more efficient. So we need three things - a standard, newsreaders to handle it, and transfer mechanisms that don't munge things (like most of C News). At some point, I expect sites would start refusing feeds from munging sites and dumping munged articles. -- Jon Zeeff (NIC handle JZ) zeeff@b-tech.ann-arbor.mi.us Dolphins! What about the tuna?