Subj : Directly include binary data in messages
To   : Tim Schattkowsky
From : Oli
Date : Sat Feb 12 2022 09:46 am

Tim wrote (2022-02-11):

 TS> Hello All,

 TS> w.r.t. the embedding of images I actually also consider a variant where
 TS> the images are included in a more binary-style manner to conserver
 TS> memory. The idea is, to introduce a Kludge for including Binary
 TS> attachments directly in the mail similar to MIME but simpler to handle
 TS> and more space-conserving:

 TS> @BIN <filename> <CRC32 in hex> <almost binary data>

 TS> Where <almost binary data> uses a simple encoding that essentially aims
 TS> at avoiding $00, $0d and $0a so the resulting string still forms a valid
 TS> line of 8-Bit characters. The checksum is also intended to detect any
 TS> charset violence or 7-Bit fun that might have happend to the message on
 TS> the way.

Hi Tim,

I was to about to reply to your first message with a very similar proposal / idea. I'm glad I didn't and you were faster. Saved me some time, redundant work and doubts to overcome ;-)

I do like the general idea of hiding binary data in kludge lines. I also would prefer ABD (Almost Binary Data) over base64 or other 7-bit encodings. (8-bit) Messages must not be changed or converted in Fidonet.

The biggest question is: would it work with current software?

Potential problems:
 - kludge line too long
   - tossers
   - readers / editors
   - message base formats (storage)
 - message size too big
 - maximum allowed size to small for many regular images / files
 - much bigger messages
   - only few programs / users can display it
     - wasted bandwidth
     - wasted hard disk storage
   - file size limit of message bases
 - gateways / NNTP server
   - Internet Mail <-> FTN mail
   - some software might barf on 8-bit X-FTN-BIN headers
     if not properly escaped and wrapped at 998 chars
   - no support for converting @BIN kludge <-> MIME attachment
 - (8-bit corruption)


Then there are more general questions:
 - will sysops support binaries in mail or is it annoying?
 - how to display images in BBS / terminal / TUI


I haven't looked into the potential problems. Maybe we can setup an echo for testing and generate some test messages to see which software can or cannot handle it. Or create a set of VMs (Windows, Linux, DOS (?)) for a network simulation, which could also be useful for future experiments.

My gut feeling is, that it won't work satisfactory in a heterogeneous network with some old software still used on some hubs. Or there is some limitation in one of the message base formats. Or NNTP access / gateways would blow up.

Maybe we are stuck with HTTP URLs in mails and any more ambitious solution would need a new mail format.

---
 * Origin: Birds aren't real (2:280/464.47)

.