Multimedia E-mail (MIME) User Agent Checklist
RFC 1820
Document | Type |
RFC - Informational
(August 1995; No errata)
Obsoleted by RFC 1844
|
|
---|---|---|---|
Author | Erik Huizer | ||
Last updated | 2013-03-02 | ||
Stream | Legacy | ||
Formats | plain text html pdf htmlized bibtex | ||
Stream | Legacy state | (None) | |
Consensus Boilerplate | Unknown | ||
RFC Editor Note | (None) | ||
IESG | IESG state | RFC 1820 (Informational) | |
Telechat date | |||
Responsible AD | (None) | ||
Send notices to | (None) |
Network Working Group E. Huizer Request for Comments: 1820 SURFnet bv Category: Informational August 1995 Multimedia E-mail (MIME) User Agent Checklist Status of this Memo This memo provides information for the Internet community. This memo does not specify an Internet standard of any kind. Distribution of this memo is unlimited. Abstract This document presents a checklist to facilitate evaluation of MIME capable User Agents. Access to a MIME test-responder, that generates test-messages is described. Introduction This document presents a checklist that facilitates evaluation of MIME capable E-mail User Agents. It is by no means a conformance or interoperability (both strictly defined and measurable quantities) checklist, but rather an interworking (practical perspective) checklist that is aimed at the users and system managers. Usage and submission If you use this checklist against a specific product (regardless of whether you're a vendor, implementor or user) you can submit the result to mime-check@relay.surfnet.nl and this information will be made available (at no cost) through WWW (to be announced) for other people to browse through. Although SURFnet will attempt to verify the correctness of each submission, all submitted, information is made available as is, with no guarantees (SURFnet does not take any responsibility for errors in the data that is made available, or for any damages resulting from usage of that data). Users who want to procure a UA are advised to use the data as an orientation, and to perform their own procurement tests (possibly using the checklist below as a guideline). Also it is noted that vendors and implementors are encouraged to use the results from the checklist to improve their products. Huizer Informational [Page 1] RFC 1820 MIME User Agent Checklist August 1995 Getting test messages For several tests in the checklist a test message is required. Test messages can be requested in the following way: Send mail to <mime- test@relay.surfnet.nl> with a subject field containing ONE of the following: text/plain text/enriched image/gif image/jpeg audio/basic video/mpeg application/octet-stream application/postscript message/rfc822 message/partial message/external multipart/mixed multipart/parallel multipart/digest multipart/alternative application/wordperfect5.1 application/msword application/rtf X-local <to test how your UA deals with undefined content-types> nested <returns a message that contains nested multipart contents> iso-8859-1 <returns a message with text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1> A message containing the requested content-type will be returned to the address contained in the from field. References The reader is encouraged to also check out the following references: The MIME standards: - Borenstein N. and N. Freed, "MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) Part One: Mechanisms for specifying and describing the format of Internet message bodies", RFC 1521, Bellcore, Innosoft, September 1993. - Moore K., "MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) Part Two: Message header extensions for non-Ascii text", RFC 1522, University of Tennessee, September 1993. Huizer Informational [Page 2] RFC 1820 MIME User Agent Checklist August 1995 The registration procedure for content types: - Postel J., "Media type registration procedure", RFC 1590, USC/Information Sciences Institute, March 1994. Some related informational documents: - Borenstein N., "The text/enriched MIME content-type", RFC 1563, Bellcore, October 1994. - Borenstein N., "A user agent configuration mechanism for multimedia mail format information", RFC 1524, Bellcore, September 1993. Registered MIME content-types can be found at the following URL: ftp://ftp.isi.edu/in-notes/iana/assignments/media-types/media-types The SUNet MIME project: http://www.chalmers.se/SUNET/Mac-E.html This offers evaluation tests reports of MIME products, as well as tests and test-criteria for MIME implementors. From Stockholm University a list of user-interface requirments for a mail/news reader is available under: gopher://mars.dsv.su.se/11/dsv- reports/research-reports/messaging- research Checklist for Mime UAs (note that for items with multiple choice options, it is possible that more than one option is applicable) 1. General information: 1.1 The name and version of the product 1.2 The name and addressing information of the manufacturerShow full document text