RE: MIME as a vCalendar element separator - bad move...

[Alec Dun <AlecDu@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

You have to talk to the correct people.  Picking a random Microsoft
marketing person at a conference and saying, "what do you think about
<x>" is fairly unproductive.

Thanks,
Alec.

> ----------
> From:
> owner-ietf-calendar@imc.org[SMTP:owner-ietf-calendar@imc.org] on
> behalf of Frank Dawson[SMTP:fdawson@earthlink.net]
> Sent: 	Monday, December 09, 1996 7:55 AM
> To: 	ietf-calendar@imc.org; 'Mark Horton'; Skip Montanaro
> Subject: 	RE: MIME as a vCalendar element separator - bad move...
> 
> 
> Interestly enough...The same format is being used in the vCard sister
> format to vCalendar. It had originally used a format for sentinels
> similar to Microsoft's RTF. The Microsoft folks commenting on the
> vCard specification suggested we change this to a more BEGIN/END
> bracketing.
> 
> - - Frank
> 
> ----------
> From: 	Mark Horton[SMTP:mark@lucent.com]
> Sent: 	Friday, December 06, 1996 6:54 PM
> To: 	Skip Montanaro; ietf-calendar@imc.org
> Subject: 	Re: MIME as a vCalendar element separator - bad move...
> 
> > Stepping out the virtual world for a moment, but remaining
> hypothetical, if
> > my mom sends me a care package at school, it might contain a box of
> homemade
> > cookies, a couple jars of peanut butter, a Monopoly game, a picture
> of my
> > nephew, and a letter.  The packaging might include a box, an
> envelope or
> > two, tin foil for the cookies, jars for the peanut butter, and some
> old
> > newspapers to keep everything from sloshing around in the box.  In a
> virtual
> > world, MIME is not just the box.  It's the jars, the envelopes, the
> tin foil
> > and the stuffing as well.
> >
> > This is where I think there is some confusion. My mom had to put the
> > Monopoly game in the care package.  She didn't have to open up the
> game and
> > insert a bunch of separators to keep the $50 bills separate from the
> Chance
> > cards.  That was Parker Brothers' job.
> 
> Exactly!  Skip, you've hit the nail on the head (and made my day, as
> well,
> you have a way with words.)
> 
> There is no reason for Parker Brothers to stuff newspaper inside their
> box
> when they have determined that cardboard compartments work better for
> their
> application.
> 
> In the case of MIME, it's a good mail encapsulation format and an
> excellent
> attachment format.  But it's overkill for calendar events where a
> simple
> BEGIN will do.  If we use MIME we run the risk of confusing mail
> programs
> that might think they have to understand the internals of the calendar
> application format.  This makes about as much sense as requiring Word
> 8
> to use MIME to separate the various parts of the document.
> 
> 	Mark
> 
>