Message written at 13 Feb 1997 11:12:48 +0000
--- Copy of mail to baker@filoli.com ---
In-reply-to: <199702121011.CAA04870@sunspot.filoli.com> (message from Charles
	Baker on Wed, 12 Feb 97 02:10:53 -0800)

I realise that I am a back woodsman, but Charlie's remark "RTF :
amazingly enough, I have YET to meet a platform that can't read this
one!" surprised me somewhat.  On this desk there are 4 computers.  One
of them can read RTF.  In my office at the university there are 4
computers, none of which can read RTF.  I do have a program to create
RTF from LaTeX (a sensible format actually) but while I suppose
technically I can read an RTF file with emacs, I have no idea what it
says.

I dislike, no, hate, non ASCII or EBCDIC file formats for text.  They
are too easy to break.  A non-binary ftp messes them, and there is no
way of understanding it without the computational equivalent of
standing on one's head and clapping one's feet.

What is wrong with ASCII?  Readable on nearly everything.
Unconfusing, does not rely on some uncontrolled browser.  It has stood
the test of time, is well understood, easy to fix when corrupted.
Printers understand it.  Editors understand it.

==John