1. Most graphical mail readers have the ability to attach files to mail messages and read these attachments. The way they do this is not with uuencode but in a special format known as MIME encapsulation. MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) is a way of representing multiple files inside a single mail message. The way binary data is handled is similar to uuencode, but in a format known as base64. Each MIME attachment to a mail message has a particular type, known as the MIME type. MIME types merely classify the attached file as an image, an audio clip, a formatted document, or some other type of data. The MIME type is a text tag with the format <major>/<minor>. The major part is called the major MIME type and the minor part is called the minor MIME type. Available major types match all the kinds of files that you would expect to exist. They are usually one of application, audio, image, message, text, or video. The application type means a file format specific to a particular utility. The minor MIME types run into the hundreds. A long list of MIME types can be found in /etc/mime.types. If needed, some useful command-line utilities in the same vein as uuencode can create and extract MIME messages. These are mpack, munpack, and mmencode (or mimencode). From Rute-Users-Guide