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List:       kde-bugs-dist
Subject:    [Bug 110704] Wrong quoting with quotesign ">%_"
From:       "Boyd Stephen Smith Jr." <bss03 () volumehost ! net>
Date:       2006-10-04 21:57:00
Message-ID: 20061004215700.6015.qmail () ktown ! kde ! org
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http://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=110704         




------- Additional Comments From bss03 volumehost net  2006-10-04 23:56 -------
RFC 2646 (link in comment #4) is only tangentially about quoting, and specifically \
about the format=flowed option to text/plain MIME parts in email.  That said, it does \
provide some useful examples, but (or may not) be applicable.

When considering that RFC, we need to keep in mind that it implicitly assumes that \
all messages use a single '>' as the quote sign, but does not mandate it. The ABNF in \
section 5, specifically line 589, makes this assumption explicit; direct application \
of the standard it therefore only applicable when everyone, everywhere uses '>' as a \
quote sign.  I've seen this convention broken many times with '|' as the most common \
substitute.  Using '> ' (or using kmail's escapes '>%_') is a direct violation of \
this assumption; when using it, the behavior of your mail client cannot be expected \
to exactly follow this RFC.

Finally, the RFC itself implies that your second rendering in the original report is \
most correct, rather than your preference (the third rendering).  Specifically look \
around lines 421-426 and 567-573.  The space immediately after quoting is called \
"stuffing" in the ABNF provided and there is a comment about stuffing in that ABNF to \
wit: "space-stuffed, added on generation if needed, deleted on reception".  \
Therefore, kmail should remove the space before rendering.  (And oddly enough, cannot \
add or remove it immediately before the signature separator, '--'.)  Though, see [3] \
below.

My recommendations (as a lowly user) would be:
1. Allowing a space as part of a quotesign (or between quotesigns) breaks the \
practice of space-stuffing and KMail should disallow it.  It is essentially \
impossible to tell where nested, differing, quote signs end if space is allowed. 2. \
Adding a space after the quotesign before sending is always acceptable.  It's \
standard space stuffing.  It's required when the line starts with a space (so that \
the other end doesn't remove the space under the assumption it was stuffing) or any \
mark that might be considered a quote sign. 3. Displaying a space after the \
quotesign(s) both during reading and composition is a nice feature and should be \
preserved even if storage and/or transmission of the space is not.  KMail is a rich \
email client so users will be comfortable with the "cooked" rendering.  Of course, \
'View Source' ("raw" rendering) would display exactly what is stored -- and space \
stuffing should never be stored.


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