thunderbird - sending email in rich text format

how to do it?

[HelenDev]

Thunderbird only appears to give me the option to send mail in either plain text or html - where is the rich text option?

Am I being dense? Is rich text actually the same as HTML?

[webdoctor]

Rich-text is pretty much a Microsoft-only option. Sending mail in rich-text format means anyone without Outlook risks seeing a blank email with a "winmail.dat" attachment and not much else.

Plain text email is great.

HTML email is OK.

Rich text email is the devil's work :-)

[gpc.edu...]

[encyclo]

If you need more than just plain text, HTML is certainly preferable as it is much more widely supported. However as RTF is an open format (created by Microsoft but available to all), is there a good reason as to why it can't be supported at least in part by alternative email clients such as Thunderbird?

[webdoctor]

However as RTF is an open format (created by Microsoft but available to all), is there a good reason as to why it can't be supported at least in part by alternative email clients such as Thunderbird?

If you were coding support for a "rich" format, why would you pick RTF when HTML already exists and is so widely used?

[webdoctor]

However as RTF is an open format (created by Microsoft but available to all), is there a good reason as to why it can't be supported at least in part by alternative email clients such as Thunderbird?

and the other answer is "yes, it could be supported".

feel free to head over to www.mozilla.org, join the developers, and get started on the coding. i'm afraid i don't have the time :-)

[HelenDev]

Thanks for the replies guys, makes interesting reading.

I had always assumed...

plain text good

html email bad

rich text somewhere in between

...so I stand corrected.