[FFML] Question about how to keep the text as is after submitted

[Tulio Arends]

As a programmer by trade I totally agree with KB.
BUT (there is always a 'but') that does no apply to FFML posts, read
the following excerpt from the FAQ:

<excerpt>
* WHAT ABOUT STORY FORMAT?

 This is just to tell you to use US-ASCII characters and to wrap your
 lines to about 74 characters a line or about 10 to 12 words a line.
 Basically, whatever word processing program you use, save the story
 in ASCII text format (the one with the extension .TXT).  Don't use
 fancy quotes and characters either; not all of these characters
 translate very nicely to ASCII format.

 Sam Brown has written 3FT, a program which filters and formats
 non-ASCII files so that they are suitable for posting to the FFML:

   http://www.mono211.com/4ca/code.html

 Thomas Michael Edwards' Reform is available from:

   http://www.motoslave.net/reform/

 Other formatters have been reported at:

   http://home.ix.netcom.com/~mchase/zip/wrap_long.zip

   http://gaiacrtn.free.fr/ttr/index.html

 If you use a better one, let me know and I'll put it in the FAQ too.

 The FFML software does not allow the posting of stories as
 attachments.  Text attachments sent through the list will be stripped
 and converted back to plain text by the system before being sent out.
 Non-text attachments will be auto-deleted.

 You also might want to note where to find previous parts or chapters
 of the story.  New list members are more likely to read that new
 chapter if they can get their hands on the previous chapters. On the
 other hand, mass repostings of previous parts are not recommended, as
 it can be very annoying for readers to have their boxes filled up with
 stories that have already been sent out.

 You do want your story read, don't you?
</excerpt>

I use Gmail, but I sometimes read my messages from a GNU/Linux shell, or even a
console.  I have been lurking on this list since 1997 and for all that
time the posting
format standard has served us well.  This is strictly an english
language list so there is no reason to switch to UNICODE (BTW if all
you write is english UTF8 is binary compatible with ASCII anyway).