MIME word encoding (RFC 2047)

MIME word encoding is a mechanism used in email systems to represent non-ASCII characters in a way that is compatible with the ASCII character set. It works by converting non-ASCII characters into a sequence of ASCII characters, allowing them to be transmitted and displayed correctly across different email clients and servers. This encoding scheme is particularly useful when sending emails that contain special characters or non-English text.

The encoding process involves converting each non-ASCII character into a sequence of ASCII characters, which are then enclosed within a pair of equal signs (=). The ASCII representation of each character is obtained by converting its binary value into a hexadecimal representation. This ensures that the encoded text remains within the ASCII character set, making it safe for transmission and display. MIME word encoding is widely supported by email clients and servers, making it a reliable and widely used method for handling non-ASCII characters in email communication.

MIME word encoding is used for various purposes in email communication. One common use case is when sending emails that contain non-ASCII characters in the subject line or the body of the message. By encoding these characters using MIME word encoding, the email can be properly displayed and interpreted by the recipient's email client, regardless of the character set or language used. Additionally, MIME word encoding is often used when sending attachments that have non-ASCII filenames, ensuring that the filenames are correctly interpreted and displayed by the recipient's email client. Overall, MIME word encoding plays a crucial role in ensuring the interoperability and proper rendering of non-ASCII characters in email communication.

Sources:
[1] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quoted-printable
[2] www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2047.txt