MIME Encapsulation of Aggregate HTML Documents (mhtml)

Charter

Current status: active working group

Chair(s):
Einar Stefferud <stef@nma.com>

Applications Area Director(s):
Keith Moore <moore@cs.utk.edu>
Harald Alvestrand <Harald.T.Alvestrand@uninett.no>

Area Advisor
Harald Alvestrand <Harald.T.Alvestrand@uninett.no>

Mailing lists:
General Discussion:mhtml@segate.sunet.se
To Subscribe: listserv@segate.sunet.se
In Body: subscribe mhtml <full name>
Archive: ftp://segate.sunet.se/lists/mhtml/

Description of Working Group:

World Wide Web documents are written using Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML). HTML is notable in that it contains "embedded content"; that is, HTML documents often contain pointers to other objects (images, external references) which are presented to the recipient. Currently, Web documents are transported almost exclusively via the interactive HTTP protocol. The MHTML working group will develop specifications to permit the transport of Web documents via Internet mail. Tasks include specification of MIME encapsulation of Web documents (the HTML document and the set of documents to which it refers) required for Internet mail as well as specification of any HTML formatting conversions that are needed to accomplish the transport of documents in such a "disconnected" environment. The working group will also produce an informational discussion about Web page formatting choices that affect their efficient use through disconnected channels.The working group intends to develop these standards in a way that maintains interoperability between separate HTTP-based systems and Internet mail systems, as well as being suitable for combined mail/HTTP browser systems.

It is beyond the scope of this working group to come up with standards for document formats other than Web documents. However, standards produced by the working group may be designed in such a way to allow other such formats to use similar strategies.

Internet-Drafts:

No Current Internet-Drafts.

More Information

Jacob Palme's IETF home page contains more information and references on the MHTML IETF working group.