Outlook Express6 Font and Encoding Questions
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From: Pete B on 16 Jan 2010 15:42 Can somebody please explain to me what all the font and encoding options in WinXP SP3/IE 7/OEx 6 do? I know how to set these options, but I am not really sure what all the various options do. For example: What are the encoding options supposed to do? What is the difference between Western European ISO, Western Europe Windows, UTF-7, UTF-8, User defined, and how do those affect what is typed or read? What are the best settings for newsreaders and for email, or at least what is "standard", both text and HTML? I keep getting strange characters showing up in emails I receive, both news messages and mail messages, such as the one below: � I have no idea what that character is supposed to be, and others also appear from time to time. Is this due to my email settings, my encoding, or due to the sender's setup, or even due to the ISP or some such? Is that character some kind of punctuation or what? I currently have my options set for W. Euro ISO encoding, using Incised901 Bd BT for proportional font, Lucida Console for fixed font, mail setting HTML quoted printables, News sending format plain text, MIME, encoding none, news compose Lucida Console 10 pt, mail compose Incised901 Bd BT 10 pt. Is that good, bad, or indifferent? Is there any MSKB info on all this stuff? The OEx Help files tell you HOW to set the options, but it really does not explain what the options do -- Pete B
From: Corday on 16 Jan 2010 17:24 As a U.S. user, you're fine with Western European ISO. Each font has it's own characters. If you want to see why you get, what you get, open Fonts in the Control Panel. Some are symbols only. If you have a disc space problem, delete some fonts you'll never need. -- I mastered Wordstar graphics! "Pete B" wrote: > Can somebody please explain to me what all the font and encoding options in > WinXP SP3/IE 7/OEx 6 do? I know how to set these options, but I am not > really sure what all the various options do. For example: > > What are the encoding options supposed to do? > What is the difference between Western European ISO, Western Europe Windows, > UTF-7, UTF-8, User defined, and how do those affect what is typed or read? > What are the best settings for newsreaders and for email, or at least what > is "standard", both text and HTML? > > I keep getting strange characters showing up in emails I receive, both news > messages and mail messages, such as the one below: > > Â > > I have no idea what that character is supposed to be, and others also appear > from time to time. Is this due to my email settings, my encoding, or due to > the sender's setup, or even due to the ISP or some such? Is that character > some kind of punctuation or what? > > I currently have my options set for W. Euro ISO encoding, using Incised901 > Bd BT for proportional font, Lucida Console for fixed font, mail setting > HTML quoted printables, News sending format plain text, MIME, encoding none, > news compose Lucida Console 10 pt, mail compose Incised901 Bd BT 10 pt. > > Is that good, bad, or indifferent? > > Is there any MSKB info on all this stuff? The OEx Help files tell you HOW > to set the options, but it really does not explain what the options do > > > -- > Pete B > > . >
From: Michael Santovec on 16 Jan 2010 17:36 Encoding tells a program what bit pattern corresponds to what character. If you are using a Western European Language (e.g. English, French, Spanish, Italian, etc.), then Western ISO is a good choice. It is widely supported. If a message uses MIME format, then the message includes the encoding being used so that the receiving program knows how to interpret the characters. If a message uses Uuencode format, them the encoding is not specified in then the receiving program has to guess. In OE you can specify a default encoding for read (Tools, Options, Read, International). You can also override the encoding for the current message under View, Encoding. So if the receiver uses a different encoding than the sender, that can cause strange characters. If a message quotes a previous one, the mismatch can get propagated. Another source of problem is when a person composes in another program (e.g. MS Word) and pastes into a message. Word's smart quotes can get mistranslated. HTML is generally frowned upon in newsgroups. For e-mail, that's dependent upon who you are sending to. HTML requires MIME format. For newsgroups, Uuencode used to be the standard because all newsreaders supported it. MIME is becoming more common. The Encoding setting at Tools, Options, Send, Mail/News, HTML/Plain Text Settings has an entirely different meaning than the character set encoding. Here use Quoted-printable for HTML/MIME messages. Use None for Uuencode. Your font choices are largely personal. Unless you are sending HTML format, the font information is not included in the message. Where the font can cause a problem is if you are using some graphic symbols, such as in Wing Dings where unless the reader is using the same font they won't see the same thing. -- Mike - http://TechHelp.Santovec.us "Pete B" <petescastle(a)comcast.net> wrote in message news:OxWDlxulKHA.6096(a)TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl... > Can somebody please explain to me what all the font and encoding > options in WinXP SP3/IE 7/OEx 6 do? I know how to set these options, > but I am not really sure what all the various options do. For > example: > > What are the encoding options supposed to do? > What is the difference between Western European ISO, Western Europe > Windows, UTF-7, UTF-8, User defined, and how do those affect what is > typed or read? > What are the best settings for newsreaders and for email, or at least > what is "standard", both text and HTML? > > I keep getting strange characters showing up in emails I receive, both > news messages and mail messages, such as the one below: > > � > > I have no idea what that character is supposed to be, and others also > appear from time to time. Is this due to my email settings, my > encoding, or due to the sender's setup, or even due to the ISP or some > such? Is that character some kind of punctuation or what? > > I currently have my options set for W. Euro ISO encoding, using > Incised901 Bd BT for proportional font, Lucida Console for fixed font, > mail setting HTML quoted printables, News sending format plain text, > MIME, encoding none, news compose Lucida Console 10 pt, mail compose > Incised901 Bd BT 10 pt. > > Is that good, bad, or indifferent? > > Is there any MSKB info on all this stuff? The OEx Help files tell you > HOW to set the options, but it really does not explain what the > options do > > > -- > Pete B
From: Pete B on 16 Jan 2010 19:02 Thanks Mike, very useful information. -- Pete B "Michael Santovec" <michael_santovec(a)prodigy.net> wrote in message news:uaVpUxvlKHA.2164(a)TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl... > Encoding tells a program what bit pattern corresponds to what character. > > If you are using a Western European Language (e.g. English, French, > Spanish, Italian, etc.), then Western ISO is a good choice. It is widely > supported. > > If a message uses MIME format, then the message includes the encoding > being used so that the receiving program knows how to interpret the > characters. > > If a message uses Uuencode format, them the encoding is not specified in > then the receiving program has to guess. > > In OE you can specify a default encoding for read (Tools, Options, Read, > International). You can also override the encoding for the current message > under View, Encoding. > > So if the receiver uses a different encoding than the sender, that can > cause strange characters. If a message quotes a previous one, the > mismatch can get propagated. > > Another source of problem is when a person composes in another program > (e.g. MS Word) and pastes into a message. Word's smart quotes can get > mistranslated. > > HTML is generally frowned upon in newsgroups. For e-mail, that's > dependent upon who you are sending to. > > HTML requires MIME format. > > For newsgroups, Uuencode used to be the standard because all newsreaders > supported it. MIME is becoming more common. > > The Encoding setting at Tools, Options, Send, Mail/News, HTML/Plain Text > Settings has an entirely different meaning than the character set > encoding. Here use Quoted-printable for HTML/MIME messages. Use None for > Uuencode. > > Your font choices are largely personal. Unless you are sending HTML > format, the font information is not included in the message. Where the > font can cause a problem is if you are using some graphic symbols, such as > in Wing Dings where unless the reader is using the same font they won't > see the same thing. > > -- > > Mike - http://TechHelp.Santovec.us > > > > "Pete B" <petescastle(a)comcast.net> wrote in message > news:OxWDlxulKHA.6096(a)TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl... >> Can somebody please explain to me what all the font and encoding options >> in WinXP SP3/IE 7/OEx 6 do? I know how to set these options, but I am >> not really sure what all the various options do. For example: >> >> What are the encoding options supposed to do? >> What is the difference between Western European ISO, Western Europe >> Windows, UTF-7, UTF-8, User defined, and how do those affect what is >> typed or read? >> What are the best settings for newsreaders and for email, or at least >> what is "standard", both text and HTML? >> >> I keep getting strange characters showing up in emails I receive, both >> news messages and mail messages, such as the one below: >> >> � >> >> I have no idea what that character is supposed to be, and others also >> appear from time to time. Is this due to my email settings, my encoding, >> or due to the sender's setup, or even due to the ISP or some such? Is >> that character some kind of punctuation or what? >> >> I currently have my options set for W. Euro ISO encoding, using >> Incised901 Bd BT for proportional font, Lucida Console for fixed font, >> mail setting HTML quoted printables, News sending format plain text, >> MIME, encoding none, news compose Lucida Console 10 pt, mail compose >> Incised901 Bd BT 10 pt. >> >> Is that good, bad, or indifferent? >> >> Is there any MSKB info on all this stuff? The OEx Help files tell you >> HOW to set the options, but it really does not explain what the options >> do >> >> >> -- >> Pete B > >
From: Pete B on 16 Jan 2010 19:03
Thanks for the information. -- Pete B "Corday" <10Swinner(a)net.net> wrote in message news:841D686F-BE69-41F0-919D-8C2017A8713F(a)microsoft.com... > As a U.S. user, you're fine with Western European ISO. Each font has it's > own > characters. If you want to see why you get, what you get, open Fonts in > the > Control Panel. Some are symbols only. If you have a disc space problem, > delete some fonts you'll never need. > -- > I mastered Wordstar graphics! > > > "Pete B" wrote: > >> Can somebody please explain to me what all the font and encoding options >> in >> WinXP SP3/IE 7/OEx 6 do? I know how to set these options, but I am not >> really sure what all the various options do. For example: >> >> What are the encoding options supposed to do? >> What is the difference between Western European ISO, Western Europe >> Windows, >> UTF-7, UTF-8, User defined, and how do those affect what is typed or >> read? >> What are the best settings for newsreaders and for email, or at least >> what >> is "standard", both text and HTML? >> >> I keep getting strange characters showing up in emails I receive, both >> news >> messages and mail messages, such as the one below: >> >> �, >> >> I have no idea what that character is supposed to be, and others also >> appear >> from time to time. Is this due to my email settings, my encoding, or due >> to >> the sender's setup, or even due to the ISP or some such? Is that >> character >> some kind of punctuation or what? >> >> I currently have my options set for W. Euro ISO encoding, using >> Incised901 >> Bd BT for proportional font, Lucida Console for fixed font, mail setting >> HTML quoted printables, News sending format plain text, MIME, encoding >> none, >> news compose Lucida Console 10 pt, mail compose Incised901 Bd BT 10 pt. >> >> Is that good, bad, or indifferent? >> >> Is there any MSKB info on all this stuff? The OEx Help files tell you >> HOW >> to set the options, but it really does not explain what the options do >> >> >> -- >> Pete B >> >> . >> |