Problems with attachments formatted in Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint.

(1) Files in these formats are bloated, with a low ratio of information/file size.
A plain-text file containing the same information would be smaller by a factor of 5 to 10.

(2) Files in these formats are often infected with viruses.

(3) Files in these formats can crash software used to open them, resulting in loss of
any unsaved work that may also have been open in that software. In particular,
Microsoft's proprietary software that these formats are intended for is unstable.

(4) These formats were intended to be used with Microsoft's proprietary software,
which often is incompatible with software from other sources. Opening files in those
formats can cause one or more applications or the entire operating system to freeze.

(5) These formats often contain hidden information about the file's author, revealing
sensitive information to people who know how to access it.

(6) Files in these formats appear differently in different versions of their intended software.
You cannot be sure the receiver will see what you intended, or that the file can be opened
at all.

(7) By sending files in these formats and asking others to use them, you become a butress
to the Microsoft monopoly. Microsoft has been found guilty of antitrust violations
by the U.S. District Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals, and the European Court of First
Instance. You probably do not wish to support monopolistic practices that suppress
technological innovation. If this does not concern you, please do not ask me to support
such practices by sending me files in these proprietary formats.

I hope you are not offended by this information. It can be upsetting to learn that one's
innocent messages cause difficulty or imply disrespect toward some people who
receive them. I thought that you would prefer to know.

If you would like to learn more, including ways to share your information without problems
described above, you will find a good start at:
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/no-word-attachments.html