Stop sending me your errors
A software developer expresses frustration with email senders who use the multipart/alternative MIME format to display error messages instead of actual content. The author argues that this practice misuses technical standards and fails to provide helpful information to the recipient.
Why it matters
It highlights common technical inefficiencies in digital communication and the importance of adhering to established internet protocols.
My desktop email client of choice can render both text/plain and text/html emails. I happen to prefer text/plain versions. And you're right, I should get with the times. But when you misuse multipart/alternative to send me an error, you're not helping me or anyone else for that matter. In fact, you're doing the exact opposite. The ancient scrolls document multipart/alternative as a way to present the same information in multiple interchangeable forms. Most commonly, this is used to send the HTML version of an email alongside its plain text counterpart. In other words, multipart/alternative is NOT FOR SENDING ME YOUR DAMNED ERRORS . If my email client cannot handle your email, it's the client's job to report such errors.
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