[X4U] APPLE's Mail Program

[Randy B. Singer]

On Jan 1, 2008, at 8:17 AM, Ed Gould wrote:

> I did try your suggestion and the APPLE mailer still broke the URL.  
> I got chastised for this as well.

Actually the problem may have nothing to do with Mail.app.  I am  
regularly chastised for not putting angle brackets around URL's on  
the Mac-L list.  However, even when I do, URL's show up broken.   
After some research into the problem, I understand it is the type of  
server than my ISP uses that causes this, not Mail.app.

Also, I've found that newbies often can't follow links enclosed in  
angle brackets because when they copy and paste the URL, complete  
with angle brackets, that the angle brackets keep the URL from  
working in some browsers.  (As you noted, using angle brackets is not  
a universally accepted convention.)

I'm sometimes used URL shortening services, like TinyURL, but then I  
run afoul of folks who are too paranoid to click on a shortened URL  
for fear that it might take them somewhere bad.  (Which is a silly  
argument.  They  know that I created and am offering the shortened  
URL, and I am a known user of the group.  Also, a "regular" URL  
carries no guarantees that it will take you to where it proports to  
be taking you on its face.)

So...you can't win.  I recommend that you do what you think is best,  
and ignore the pedants.

___________________________________________
Randy B. Singer
Co-author of The Macintosh Bible (4th, 5th, and 6th editions)

Macintosh OS X Routine Maintenance
http://www.macattorney.com/ts.html
___________________________________________