From: Eric Hodel <drbrain@...7.net>
Date: 2005-04-17T16:42:54+09:00
Subject: Proper MUA use [Was: Re: Newbie Ruby and C question]

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On 16 Apr 2005, at 17:14, Austin Ziegler wrote:

> On 4/16/05, Eric Hodel <drbrain@segment7.net> wrote:
>> On 15 Apr 2005, at 15:53, Dave Sims wrote:
>> [some stuff]
>> Please don't hijack threads by using your reply button and replacing
>> the subject.  Sensible mailers such as yours add In-Reply-To and
>> References headers that cause responses to your hijacking attempt to 
>> be
>> intermixed with the original thread.
>>
>> Modern mailers have 'new' buttons and address books for a reason.
>
> Eric,
>
> To be honest, this is tiresome and unfriendly to users -- especially 
> new users.
>
> Modern mailers -- obviously not yours -- also don't just blindly use
> the In-Reply-To or References field to determine threading. Indeed,
> while a mailer should clear IRT if certain conditions are met, a
> sensible mailer should also ignore IRT if it doesn't make sense. This
> is usually the case when the subject of the message changes.

The only mailer I know of in common use that has this misfeature is 
Outlook (whose threading support is so dismal that it is unusable).  I 
won't buy into the culture of Outlook, where we have to drop to the 
lowest common denominator.  I've more frequently seen the subject 
change when branching off from an existing thread's topic than to ask a 
new question.

In-Reply-To and References are not something new (RFC 822 as of 1982).  
People are just being lazy when they abuse their reply buttons, and 
they need to stop that.

Besides, if you look back, you'll find that most of the time people 
reply, change the subject and ask a new question they get no answers...

-- 
Eric Hodel - drbrain@segment7.net - http://segment7.net
FEC2 57F1 D465 EB15 5D6E  7C11 332A 551C 796C 9F04

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