# Using The "Rich" Option In Hotmail

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-the-rich-option-in-hotmail/65391>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 14, 2001, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-the-rich-option-in-hotmail/65391 "2001-05-14T06:02:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\
**Post date:** [May 14, 2001, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-the-rich-option-in-hotmail/65391/1 "2001-05-14T06:02:50Z")

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Do y’all ever get complaints from your correspondents that their computer can’t rewrite the code in the rich version of hotmail e-mail, and so they get what looks like a lot of gibberish? What do you tell them, or do you just opt not to use it? Some of my German friends include the original e-mail in their reply to me, and it looks like hell.

Thanks

Quasi

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**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\
**Post date:** [May 14, 2001, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-the-rich-option-in-hotmail/65391/2 "2001-05-14T12:54:54Z")

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IANAEA (I Am Not An Email Administrator), but…

…I would guess that your friends are using old email clients that can’t interpret Rich Text Format (RTF). Although I’ve never had a problem, it wouldn’t surprise me to learn that some email software can only handle plain unformatted text.

Stick to unformatted, that’s my advice.

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**Author:** ![Gartog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/22d042/32.png) [@Gartog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gartog)\
**Post date:** [May 14, 2001, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-the-rich-option-in-hotmail/65391/3 "2001-05-14T13:17:05Z")

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Depends on the Email client your recipient is using. Some can only handle plain text messages. This includes some modern ones. I believe the Rich format in hotmail is HTML I believe using HTML embedded in email was introduced by Microsoft. When first introduced caused an outcry, Most (if not all) of the people I send emails to can read HTML emails but some prefer not too.

Someone once said to me that if an invention wasn’t useful it would cease to be used . . .and HTML email has taken off. I would suggest that it’d good etiquette to check before sending first. And most of the people I know don’t mid HTML used to format text but don’t enjoy receiving web page style messages  
hope this helps

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**Author:** ![Ariadne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/71c47a/32.png) [@Ariadne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ariadne)\
**Post date:** [May 16, 2001, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-the-rich-option-in-hotmail/65391/4 "2001-05-16T07:15:17Z")

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I have important email sent to my unix account. Web site registrations and other things that are likely to produce spam can go to my yahoo account, but I’d never read real email in html format.

People can put tiny pictures in an html email, and by checking when that picture is downloaded, they know when you read the email. I’m sure there are other stupid html tricks that can be done. Also, an email reader that can only read plain text is not vulnerable to lovebug-type viruses.