Re: Email messages: How large is too large?

["Martin Djernaes" <martin.djernaes at kecam-han.de>]

> Scot McPherson wrote:
> My opinion is that people should use the proper service to an end. If
> someone needs to transfer a file to you, than it should be done with
> FTP or other similar service..Even ICQ (which negotiates clients for
> direct file transfer). E-mail should be for text and small attachments
> related to the message, not a method of transferring files...

This cannot be serious! The internet/computers etc. is not only
something the advanced user should use, but a tool for everybody. 

As long as no other alternative to transferring data between two
machines exists, no other function will be used. The requirements for
such other function is, as a minimum, that it's functionality is
transparent to the user (dummy user) and that it do not require both
machines being online at the same time.

I know that the internet were not build for "general use", but it is the
life of the net today, at it should be the goal for the people
implementing it (us?). Let us get away from the idea that it should
always be used the way we implemented it and change our view to how
would the user like to use it.

If the user would like to transfer 28 MB we should make it possible
(there is always somebody who is in front of the big group, so I do not
say that just because one person wants it we have to make it possible).
If the mail service from today isn't the right solution, we should
invent a better. If all providers would allow a user to place XX MB via
FTP on a server, and all "mail clients" would send the file to the FTP
server and only have a link in the mail body which let you download the
file it would be ok for me, but ... there is places where mail is the
only internet connection they have ... we should consider very hard what
kind of consequences such function would have, and which
advantages/disadvatages it has compared with the current model.

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Martin Djernæs                    martin.djernaes at kecam-han.de
Dipl.-Ing.                             
Alcatel Kommunikations-Elektronik GmbH Tel:+49 (0511) 6747 741
Postfach 3246                          Fax:+49 (0511) 6747 777
30032 Hannover, Germany                http://www.ke-online.de
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