utf-7 encoding (Re: Howto: 32 bit skype, working with a webcam, on 64 bit Fedora 17)

[Tim]

On Mon, 2012-10-22 at 11:27 -0500, Kevin Martin wrote:
> in ThunderBird 16.0.1 on Fedora Rawhide an email that Tim sent thru
> shows this in his comments:
> 
> 
> In the /etc/default/grub file, I added this line:
> 
>   GRUB_GFXMODE=800x600

The above has been automatically corrected by my mail client when I hit
reply.  Kevin's quoted posting had erroneous additional characters in
it, which appear due to Thunderbird not knowing how to decode UTF-7, so
it showed the encoded character without any decoding.

I've changed my mail client's encoding configuration, some time ago,
since people have found it didn't decode properly.

To re-write the instructions, which I'm sure were from another message
thread, the line being added to the GRUB file should be two words
separated by an underscore, equals, eight-hundred by six-hundred:

  GRUB_GFXMODE=800x600

The UTF-7 encoding seemed to be encoding the underscore, and the equals
signs.  Which seems peculiar characters to have to encode, rather than
send as-is, because they're part of 7-bit US-ASCII.

> I missed what the point of setting UTF-7 was in the first place but it
> seems to break more than it fixes.

The point was *supposed* to be that it would pass through *some*
servers, unmolested, because it was all 7-bit data, to start with.
*Those* servers which think that they should transcode any 8-bit message
that comes them into 7-bit.  Of course, there are also servers that
think that they should transcode 7-bit mail into more modern 8-bit mail,
or something else.

In either case, they're allegedly being helpful, but the reality being
somewhat different.  Whenever you transcode there's a risk of an error
occurring.  And you make it even harder for the recipient to untangle
the mess.

The point has been made, and I think proved, that the original idea of
UTF-7 being a solution, doesn't work.  *Helpful* servers may still
transcode mail on the way through.  And, even after all these years,
plenty of software doesn't support UTF-7.

  --------------------------

Anyway, after all this hijacking of my original message, had anybody
else tried what I did to make Skype work?  Not needed to?  Had a
different experience?

-- 
[tim at localhost ~]$ uname -rsvp
Linux 3.6.2-4.fc17.x86_64 #1 SMP Wed Oct 17 02:43:21 UTC 2012 x86_64

All mail to my mailbox is automatically deleted, there is no point
trying to privately email me, I will only read messages posted to the
public lists.