I can't say I understand all the problems, but I understand one big
class of problems.
The =20 problem occurs when the sender is sending messages using
"quoted-printable" format. Some list servers can handle this, and some
cannot. The PHYS-L list server cannot handle quoted-printable format
and it inserts =20 at places where the sender's e-mail server was
intending to have a carriage-return/line-feed. PHYS-L also garbles a
few other aspects of messages it receives in quoted-printable format,
but the =20 is the most obvious thing people see, along with uneven line
lengths.
There would be two solutions to this problem... (1) Upgrade PHYS-L to
handle quoted-printable format. (2) Make sure that no PHYS-L members
send messages in quoted-printable format.
I do not know what can be done toward (1), but I know some people don't
have any control over (2). Anyone who is required to use Microsoft
Outlook, and also use it with the Microsoft Exchange protocol, cannot
turn quoted-printable off. It simply is not an option that Microsoft
gives you if you are using Outlook and Exchange, presumably because some
of the features of Exchange require the quoted-printable format. On the
other hand, it seems that Outlook using POP3 protocol or IMAP protocol
does have the option to stifle quoted printable.
At my office computer, I must use Outlook and Exchange because that is
the college-wide system and it has been declared "illegal" for us to use
anything else.
At home I can use what I want, even if I am tapping into my college
e-mail account. At home I am using Outlook Express communicating with
the college e-mail server using IMAP rather than Exchange. This
combination allows me to turn off quoted-printable format, and it
therefore works fine with PHYS-L. Therefore, you will know whether I
have sent a message from my college office or my home office. Messages
sent from my college office will have the =20. The only thing I can do
about this is try to set up Outlook Express or Eudora or something else
in my office. Doing so could get me in trouble with a few
administrators. Generally I am up to the fight, but right now there are
some administrators who are... uh... shall we say not worth fighting
with.
Like I said in the beginning, I don't know of all the cases that cause
the quoted-printable problem. However, if you are experiencing this
problem and you are using the Outlook/Exchange combination, there is
nothing you can do to fix it. If you are experiencing this problem and
you are not using Outlook/Exchange, perhaps there is an option for you
to turn-off the quoted-printable format. If so, exercise that option
and it might fix the problem.
Michael D. Edmiston, Ph.D.
Professor of Physics and Chemistry
Chair of Sciences
Bluffton College
Bluffton, OH 45817
(419)-358-3270