Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!aplcen!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!sdd.hp.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!julius.cs.uiuc.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!pequod.cso.uiuc.edu!dorner
From: dorner@pequod.cso.uiuc.edu (Steve Dorner)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.appletalk
Subject: Re: MAC MS-MAIL to SMTP gateway?
Message-ID: <1990Oct5.211803.11653@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu>
Date: 5 Oct 90 21:18:03 GMT
References: <34162@cup.portal.com> <26FE4E59.1748@intercon.com> <546@fciva.FRANKLIN.COM> <2707782A.6C5@intercon.com> <14017@slice.ooc.uva.nl> <1990Oct5.072457.17013@news.arc.nasa.gov>
Sender: news@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (News)
Reply-To: dorner@pequod.cso.uiuc.edu (Steve Dorner)
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Lines: 33

In article <1990Oct5.072457.17013@news.arc.nasa.gov> schoch@trident.arc.nasa.gov (Steve Schoch) writes:
>Our MacPOP program handles such enclosures in a way that is easy for the
>user.
>
>Is there a standard for doing such things now?  Does GatorMail support it?

I've had people tell me that the GatorMail product uses ***uuencode***.
I have a hard time believing such, uh, misguided behavior, but I've had
two requests to teach Eudora how to uudecode, so it's true of SOMEBODY's
product.

Eudora encodes things with BinHex.  When receiving messages, it looks for
the standard BinHex line ["(This file must be ...)"], and then "handles
such enclosures in a way that is easy for the user".

This minimalist approach (no headers or other funny stuff) allows easy
mailing of binhex from other platforms  (can you say:
'ftp> get foo.hqx "|mail s-dorner@uiuc.edu"'?  I thought you could.).

I dunno about any standards; wanna make some?  Apple is rumored to be doing
something about email, but what, I don't know (I got tired on page 437
of the "Certified Developer" application, when they wanted to know if my
maternal grandmother hand any moles or other distinguishing characteristics).  Probably just a mail transport protocol for AppleTalk.  I doubt it will
address Internet issues.

Uuencode for mac documents is STUPID.  BinHex is what's widely available
for Mac users (raise your hand if you have a copy of StuffIt; drop your
hand if you've paid for it; shame on those of you with your hands still up).
All the archives I regularly use use BinHex.  And, there are even BinHex
tools for UNIX machines, so people who want to use them are ok, too.
--
Steve Dorner, U of Illinois Computing Services Office
Internet: s-dorner@uiuc.edu  UUCP: uunet!uiucuxc!uiuc.edu!s-dorner