Emphasis notation in plain-text mail (was Re: Server setup)

From	The Wanderer <wanderer@fastmail.fm>
Newsgroups	linux.debian.user
Subject	Emphasis notation in plain-text mail (was Re: Server setup)
Date	2021-06-13 23:00 +0200
Message-ID	<CpFn4-9T-3@gated-at.bofh.it> (permalink)
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On 2021-06-13 at 16:42, Polyna-Maude Racicot-Summerside wrote:

> How do you make the text bold ? The * is enough ?

You don't. How the text is rendered depends entirely on the mail client
the person is using, and potentially on the configuration of that client.

Some clients - including the one I'm using, and apparently also the one
you're using - will interpret *asterisks* as meaning that the enclosed
text should be rendered as boldface; mine also interprets /slashes/ as
indicating that the enclosed text should be rendered in italics, and may
also interpret _underscores_ as meaning that the enclosed text should be
rendered with an underline.

(In principle the same thing could also be extended to -hyphens- meaning
the enclosed text should be rendered as strikethrough, but I don't think
I've seen that in practice.)

Other clients will interpret the asterisks, etc., literally, and will
not apply any special formatting because of them. You can't affect that.


So, in brief: if you want to convey emphasis, feel free to use
*asterisks* or /slashes/ or _underscores_. Some clients will apply
formatting as a result of seeing that; others won't, but the people
reading the text may still interpret the annotations as indicating
emphasis anyway.

I got started using *asterisks* well before I was using a client that
would apply special formatting for them, so I naturally interpret them
as indicating emphasis, even with no special formatting in place; I
expect there are probably many other people out there with the same
conditioning.

-- 
   The Wanderer

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one
persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all
progress depends on the unreasonable man.         -- George Bernard Shaw

Thread

Server setup Polyna-Maude Racicot-Summerside <debian@polynamaude.com> - 2021-06-13 01:10 +0200
  Re: Server setup Georgi Naplatanov <gosho@oles.biz> - 2021-06-13 15:30 +0200
    Re: Server setup Polyna-Maude Racicot-Summerside <debian@polynamaude.com> - 2021-06-13 19:00 +0200
      Re: Server setup Polyna-Maude Racicot-Summerside <debian@polynamaude.com> - 2021-06-13 20:00 +0200
        Re: Server setup john doe <johndoe65534@mail.com> - 2021-06-13 20:20 +0200
          Re: Server setup Polyna-Maude Racicot-Summerside <debian@polynamaude.com> - 2021-06-13 20:30 +0200
          Re: Server setup john doe <johndoe65534@mail.com> - 2021-06-13 21:00 +0200
            Re: Server setup Georgi Naplatanov <gosho@oles.biz> - 2021-06-13 21:40 +0200
              Re: Server setup Polyna-Maude Racicot-Summerside <debian@polynamaude.com> - 2021-06-13 21:50 +0200
                Re: Server setup Greg Wooledge <greg@wooledge.org> - 2021-06-13 22:00 +0200
                Re: Server setup Polyna-Maude Racicot-Summerside <debian@polynamaude.com> - 2021-06-13 22:50 +0200
                Re: Server setup Polyna-Maude Racicot-Summerside <debian@polynamaude.com> - 2021-06-13 22:50 +0200
                Emphasis notation in plain-text mail (was Re: Server setup) The Wanderer <wanderer@fastmail.fm> - 2021-06-13 23:00 +0200
                Re: Emphasis notation in plain-text mail (was Re: Server setup) The Wanderer <wanderer@fastmail.fm> - 2021-06-13 23:40 +0200
                Re: Emphasis notation in plain-text mail (was Re: Server setup) Richard Owlett <rowlett@cloud85.net> - 2021-06-14 12:50 +0200
                Re: Emphasis notation in plain-text mail (was Re: Server setup) Jonathan Dowland <jon+debian-user@dow.land> - 2021-06-15 00:00 +0200
                Re: Emphasis notation in plain-text mail (was Re: Server setup) Polyna-Maude Racicot-Summerside <debian@polynamaude.com> - 2021-06-13 23:40 +0200
          Re: Server setup deloptes <deloptes@gmail.com> - 2021-06-14 00:20 +0200
        Re: Server setup deloptes <deloptes@gmail.com> - 2021-06-14 00:30 +0200
          Re: Server setup Richard Owlett <rowlett@cloud85.net> - 2021-06-14 12:30 +0200
        Re: Server setup David Wright <deblis@lionunicorn.co.uk> - 2021-06-14 17:30 +0200
          Re: Server setup Polyna-Maude Racicot-Summerside <debian@polynamaude.com> - 2021-06-14 18:40 +0200
            Re: Server setup Andy Smith <andy@strugglers.net> - 2021-06-14 22:00 +0200
              Re: Server setup Polyna-Maude Racicot-Summerside <debian@polynamaude.com> - 2021-06-14 22:40 +0200
                Re: Server setup Andy Smith <andy@strugglers.net> - 2021-06-14 23:20 +0200
                Re: Server setup Greg Wooledge <greg@wooledge.org> - 2021-06-14 23:30 +0200
                Re: Server setup Dan Ritter <dsr@randomstring.org> - 2021-06-15 00:20 +0200
                Re: Server setup Richard Hector <richard@walnut.gen.nz> - 2021-06-15 03:50 +0200
                Re: Server setup Andrei POPESCU <andreimpopescu@gmail.com> - 2021-06-15 06:30 +0200
                Re: Server setup David Wright <deblis@lionunicorn.co.uk> - 2021-06-15 07:10 +0200
                Re: Server setup Andrei POPESCU <andreimpopescu@gmail.com> - 2021-06-16 09:30 +0200
                Re: Server setup David Wright <deblis@lionunicorn.co.uk> - 2021-06-15 07:00 +0200
            Re: Server setup David Wright <deblis@lionunicorn.co.uk> - 2021-06-15 07:00 +0200
      Re: Server setup Georgi Naplatanov <gosho@oles.biz> - 2021-06-13 20:00 +0200

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