Outlook email verbosity…

I write HTML in Thunderbird because I like some rich formatting (an area I am sad to admit Thunderbird is weak on). In particular I do a lot of indented stuff, which Thunderbird translates to simple “<blockquote>” tags. However, when I moved to Outlook 2007 (which I don’t use for mail, but was just checking) and looked at my mail, I saw the “<blockquotes>” were ignored, instead Outlook, which uses “Word” for its HTML formatting, expects to see these done through CSS “<div>” tags (yikes!).

So, I got to looking and sent myself a simple one line, “Hello world” email from Outlook. Here’s what Outlook rendered it as:

<span style=”font-family: Courier New,Courier,monospace;”>–_000_E67AF5DC51DDCF4A9C6A9867888AACF95052483E39EXMAIL02winco_ Content-Type: text/plain; charset=”us-ascii” Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hello world. –_000_E67AF5DC51DDCF4A9C6A9867888AACF95052483E39EXMAIL02winco_ Content-Type: text/html; charset=”us-ascii” Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <html xmlns:v=3D”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml” xmlns:o=3D”urn:schemas-micr= osoft-com:office:office” xmlns:w=3D”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word” = xmlns:m=3D”http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml” xmlns=3D”http:= //www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40″> <head> <META HTTP-EQUIV=3D”Content-Type” CONTENT=3D”text/html; charset=3Dus-ascii”= > <meta name=3DGenerator content=3D”Microsoft Word 12 (filtered medium)”> <style> <!– /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:”Cambria Math”; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:”Calibri”,”sans-serif”;} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {mso-style-priority:99; color:blue; text-decoration:underline;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {mso-style-priority:99; color:purple; text-decoration:underline;} span.EmailStyle17 {mso-style-type:personal-compose; font-family:”Calibri”,”sans-serif”; color:windowtext;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} –> </style> <!–[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:shapedefaults v:ext=3D”edit” spidmax=3D”1026″ /> </xml><![endif]–><!–[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:shapelayout v:ext=3D”edit”> <o:idmap v:ext=3D”edit” data=3D”1″ /> </o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]–> </span>

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<span style=“font-family: Courier New,Courier,monospace;”>—_000_E67AF5DC51DDCF4A9C6A9867888AACF95052483E39EXMAIL02winco_
Content–Type: text/plain; charset=“us-ascii”
Content–Transfer–Encoding: quoted–printable

Hello world.

—_000_E67AF5DC51DDCF4A9C6A9867888AACF95052483E39EXMAIL02winco_
Content–Type: text/html; charset=“us-ascii”
Content–Transfer–Encoding: quoted–printable

<html xmlns:v=3D“urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml” xmlns:o=3D“urn:schemas-micr=
osoft-com:office:office” xmlns:w=3D“urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word” =
xmlns:m=3D“http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml” xmlns=3D“http:=
//www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40″>

<head>
<META HTTP–EQUIV=3D“Content-Type” CONTENT=3D“text/html; charset=3Dus-ascii”=
>
<meta name=3DGenerator content=3D“Microsoft Word 12 (filtered medium)”>
<style>
<!—
/* Font Definitions */
@font–face
{font–family:“Cambria Math”;
panose–1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font–face
{font–family:Calibri;
panose–1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin–bottom:.0001pt;
font–size:11.0pt;
font–family:“Calibri”,“sans-serif”;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso–style–priority:99;
color:blue;
text–decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso–style–priority:99;
color:purple;
text–decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso–style–type:personal–compose;
font–family:“Calibri”,“sans-serif”;
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso–style–type:export–only;}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
—>
</style>
<!—[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext=3D“edit” spidmax=3D“1026” />
</xml><![endif]—><!—[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext=3D“edit”>
<o:idmap v:ext=3D“edit” data=3D“1” />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]—>
</span>

<span style=”font-family: Courier New,Courier,monospace;”></head> <body lang=3DEN-US link=3Dblue vlink=3Dpurple> <div class=3DSection1> <p class=3DMsoNormal>Hello world.<span style=3D’font-size:12.0pt;font-famil= y:”Times New Roman”,”serif”‘><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p> </div> </body> </span></html>

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<span style=“font-family: Courier New,Courier,monospace;”></head>

<body lang=3DEN–US link=3Dblue vlink=3Dpurple>

<div class=3DSection1>

<p class=3DMsoNormal>Hello world.<span style=3D‘font-size:12.0pt;font-famil=
y:”Times New Roman”,”serif”‘><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p>

</div>

</body>

</span></html>

Yikes again!

I’ll grant you Word offers a lot more in terms of formatting, but that’s out of control. I guess these guys may have a point!:

http://fixoutlook.org/
http://www.email-standards.org/

Hilarious!

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