Re: Registration of new charset "UTF-16"

[erik@netscape.com (Erik van der Poel)]

Chris Newman wrote:

> On Thu, 14 May 1998, Erik van der Poel wrote:
> >
> > This charset is not suitable for use in MIME email.
>
> That would be incorrect.  It is just fine to use the UTF-16 charset with
> an application/* media type in email.

Thanks for catching that.

> It is a violation of the MIME
> standard to use UTF-16 in a text media type, and that rule is not specific
> to email.

Are you saying that the MIME standard somehow attempts to specify what is or is not
allowed in other protocols, like HTTP, HTML, XML, etc?

Or are you referring to other email-like protocols, like NNTP perhaps? Or ACAP? Or
IMAP? POP?

Please elaborate.

HTTP regularly transports non-text objects, like GIF images. These "binary" objects
follow the HTTP headers. So it is not at all problematic to send UTF-16 in HTTP.
(Unlike the various email protocols.)

Or are you concerned about gateways, or email attachments, or something?

Please elaborate.

I'm just trying to come up with a non-confusing wording for that sentence in the UTF-16
registration. Your help is appreciated. What wording would you suggest?

Erik