Date: Wed, 18 Mar 2009 15:55:11 -0400
From: Alvaro Herrera <alvherre@commandprompt.com>
To: Tom Lane <tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us>
Cc: Bruce Momjian <bruce@momjian.us>, "Marc G. Fournier" <scrappy@hub.org>,
	David Blewett <david@dawninglight.net>,
	"pgsql-www@postgresql.org" <pgsql-www@postgresql.org>
Subject: Re: List Message Footer
Message-ID: <20090318195511.GL3798@alvh.no-ip.org>
References: <200903180210.n2I2AQP09168@momjian.us>
	<1977.1237347614@sss.pgh.pa.us>
	<20090318035432.GR4202@alvh.no-ip.org>
	<2288.1237349028@sss.pgh.pa.us>
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User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.18 (2008-05-17)

Tom Lane wrote:
> Alvaro Herrera <alvherre@commandprompt.com> writes:
> > Tom Lane wrote:
> >> I'm not impressed by the argument that
> >> some folks' mail programs won't dig it out of the headers --- I think
> >> it's about as likely that they won't dig a URL out of a standard footer
> >> either.
> 
> > The obvious difference is that headers are normally hidden as
> > uninteresting metadata, whereas footers are shown as normal body text.
> 
> Programs that know what a footer is might well not do that.

There are no such programs.  Turning off footers ("signatures") is
dangerous, because the delimiters are not widespread, so hiding them
risks hiding important data.  Actually what some programs do is show
them in a different, less visible color or font, for example; but I have
never seen one that hides them completely.

(I think the "tin" usenet reader used to have an option to hide
signatures.  I never knew a person that turned the option on.  I am also
unaware of whether tin still exists ...)

-- 
Alvaro Herrera                                http://www.CommandPrompt.com/
The PostgreSQL Company - Command Prompt, Inc.