I'm not really anti-HTML email. Like many folks with a long history in the linux/unix world, once upon a time I used text-based email clients like pine and mutt, but that was a lonnnnng time ago.
But this isn't just about me! If you think plain text is better than HTML, then boy have I got a site for you: Use plain text email.
This very plain text website (with just a dash of HTML markup and a single graphic of its own), Use plain text email, is a love letter to simplicity. It argues, firmly, but politely, that HTML email is a mess, and we'd all be better off if we stuck to plain text.
If you've got reasons that you don't like composing or reading personal emails in HTML format, you'll find plenty to nod along with here. And if you've ever wanted to set up your own email system, the site has good starter guidance for choosing text-focused tools like neomutt, msmtp, and notmuch.
Is it realistic to think we'll all switch back to plain text email in 2025? Probably not. (And let's be honest, marketing teams would riot.) But the site still makes a solid case for keeping plain text in your toolbox, especially for personal or technical email.
Even if you're not planning to give up HTML entirely, reading this might convince you to turn off remote image loading. Or at least check what your email looks like in plain text.
Anyway, if you haven't seen it before, go check it out: useplaintext.email.
I'm not really anti-HTML email. Like many folks with a long history in the linux/unix world, once upon a time I used text-based email clients like pine and mutt, but that was a lonnnnng time ago.
But this isn't just about me! If you think plain text is better than HTML, then boy have I got a site for you: Use plain text email.
This very plain text website (with just a dash of HTML markup and a single graphic of its own), Use plain text email, is a love letter to simplicity. It argues, firmly, but politely, that HTML email is a mess, and we'd all be better off if we stuck to plain text.
If you've got reasons that you don't like composing or reading personal emails in HTML format, you'll find plenty to nod along with here. And if you've ever wanted to set up your own email system, the site has good starter guidance for choosing text-focused tools like neomutt, msmtp, and notmuch.
Is it realistic to think we'll all switch back to plain text email in 2025? Probably not. (And let's be honest, marketing teams would riot.) But the site still makes a solid case for keeping plain text in your toolbox, especially for personal or technical email.
Even if you're not planning to give up HTML entirely, reading this might convince you to turn off remote image loading. Or at least check what your email looks like in plain text.
Anyway, if you haven't seen it before, go check it out: useplaintext.email.
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