FM> I can't work out whether you two just have a difference of
 FM> opinion on the usefulness of SOT/EOT, or whether Bob (or even
 FM> you) is missing some basic point in the other's argument.
 FM> Perhaps when I come to study your reply it will become clear.

  Paul is looking at it from the point of view of mail processing. I
am looking at it from the point of view of a mail reader. In *his*
case, he sees it as a foolproof way to isolate the text part of a
message during processing... but why? In *my* case, SOT/EOT has no
fucntion in a reader.

  How I do it (for PKT) is:

1.  Read the null-terminated strings in the header.
2.  Read the first line (a) If AREA: then process area.
                        (b) If not, process Netmail, address, etc.
3.  Strip all leading kludge lines (including SOT). Who cares?
4.  This leaves the message. Read message to null.
5.  Backtrack to find Origin line, read address. End of origin is end 
   of message.
6.  Over-write fucking in-message kludges (EOT) with spaces.
7.  Display message with optional SEEN-BY line.

  In a reader, SOT/EOT has absolutely no use at all, and in fact slows
processing. It can't be used as a cross-check, because it most likely
isn't there. If SOT is missing, with "AREA:" in the first line of a
netmail message, all that happens is that the Netmail message is read
under whatever area. So what? Who cares? 

  If the  * Origin line is missing, then I default to showing the
entire message to the null terminator. So what?

  If the null is missing I'm rooted anyway.

Regards,
Bob
___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.12
@EOT:

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