REPLY: 1:3634/12.73 5cc9e15a   
   MSGID: 2:280/464.113 5cc9eeaf   
   CHRS: UTF-8 4   
   Hallo mark!   
      
    ml> 1c. ignore it and do not write it to the output (aka skip)   
      
   That sounds like what I called stripping in the previous post.  Basically it   
   has the same effect if it isn't in the output.   
      
    ml> a lot of code does #1 when it should do #2...   
      
   I am not convinced it "should" do either but perhaps in certain cases there   
   could be characters that might do "harm" such as some ansi bbses do to user's   
   terminals.  I used to have to run reset after logging out of bbses to get   
   things back to normal after telnetting to them.  This is what led me to where   
   I am today as far as offline messaging is concerned.  I want it all and not   
   just what some sysop thinks I want since they are always wrong amd make very   
   bad software choices as a rule.  This "loses an i" bug is a prime example   
   methinks, although I still think there may still be issues with the holes in   
   the MS codepages that haven't reared their ugly heads ... or at least that I   
   am aware of.  I did see on one Russian site ages ago a document which   
   identified as KOI8-R was actually CP1251 and although they were all Cyrillic   
   they obviously were wrong.  I downloaded and used iconv to change it to CP1251   
   just to make sure.  Bottomline is there is way too much that goes awry when   
   dealing with differing codepages and stripping out codes will definetly cause   
   harm to messages.   
      
    ml> that in nancy's case, she sees the characters after   
      
   Yes but Nancy's editor is perfect for testing since we both know for a fact it   
   does no harm, even to utf8 characters which she cannot 'properly' render but   
   she can see the 8 bit hex codes as they map out to IBM437.  If anything is   
   amiss it is obvious when she quotes whatever is of concern back as is in the   
   case of the "loses an i" bug.   
      
    ml> keep on with the poking... it may result in some real good for   
    ml> the network one day   
      
   You too.  Your call on this particular issue was bang on.  I now bow to the   
   master.   
      
   Het leven is goed,   
   Maurice   
      
   ... Huil niet om mij, ik heb vi.   
   --- GNU bash, version 5.0.7(1)-release (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu)   
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