RE: MIME as a vCalendar element separator

[Jay Batson <JBatson@xxxxxxxxxx>]

On 12/8/96 at  4:10PM Roland H. Alden said:
>Here's another question to consider.
>
>If we choose a mime multipart/related
>representation and the message arrives
>at an old email client that is not C&S
>aware, what happens?
> ...
>My question is, do we really want users
>to have to wait for new mail clients to 
>use this stuff? If I buy a calendaring
>and scheduling app and run it alongside
>my "old" email client, can I just cut
>and paste appointments (and maybe vCards)
>back and forth?

Not unlike the browser model, which tends to favor a single MIME 
encapsulation, as follows:

- Creating software puts all calendar stuff (one/more events/actions) into 
a single MIME part.
- Receiving software hands the part off to an application to handle it (
can you say "attachment viewer / plug-in / helper app"?)
- Viewer/helper/plug-in picks apart stuff to handle it as needed.

If the receiving software is smart enough to auto-launch the "handler" for 
the MIME type, users get to choose the method they deal with calendaring 
info.  Do users want their browser / email app / ... to take care of the 
the MIME part with it's "native" calendaring support, or do they want the 
MIME part redirected to a separate (possibly "best of breed" ;-) 
application?

-jb