[mythtv-users] Replying to mailing lists (was: Re: Improving the remote control)

Jay Ashworth jra at baylink.com
Sat Nov 9 18:05:17 UTC 2013


----- Original Message -----
> From: "Mike Carron" <jmcarron at starstream.net>

> -----Original Message-----
> From: mythtv-users-bounces at mythtv.org
> [mailto:mythtv-users-bounces at mythtv.org] On Behalf Of Stephen
> Worthington
> Sent: Saturday, November 9, 2013 12:48 AM
> To: Discussion about MythTV
> Subject: Re: [mythtv-users] Improving the remote control
> 
> On Fri, 8 Nov 2013 17:48:34 -0800, you wrote:
> >I just noticed that my Reply put Stephen's email in the To line along
> >with the group. Does that mean Stephen is getting my reply twice?
> 
> Yes, that means that you sent me a copy of your reply directly, as
> well as
> one via the mailing list. I normally try to remember to delete the
> direct
> email address from replies unless I really want to send a direct reply
> as
> well. Fortunately, my email program prompts me whenever I reply to an
> email
> address that is not in my address book, so I normally catch this
> little
> problem.
> _______________________________________________
> 
> I'll try to not make that mistake again.

The real problem, of course, is that almost *no* email clients understand
mailing lists; when replying to a mailing list, you address your reply to
the incoming email's "To" header, rather than the more common "From" header.

On some mail clients, particularly mobile ones, the only reasonable solution
that doesn't entail massive inconvenience is simply to use Reply All, which
picks up the list address at the expense of sending a second copy to the 
poster at hand -- both copies will have the same Message-ID, so smarter
mail clients (of which there are also almost none now) will only show the
recipient one copy.

Smarter lists will use RFC 2919 compliant headers to tell mail user agents
to perform special handling, but -- again -- MUAs smart enough to know
what to do about them are thin on the ground.

I have had, for example, about 35 bugs open on Zimbra for 3 major releases now,
all of which amount to "follow the friggin RFC's why doncha??"; 6 years now,
and still no major action on most of them.

But hey; mailing lists are still pretty new technology; they'll catch on soon, 'eh?

Cheers,
-- jra
-- 
Jay R. Ashworth                  Baylink                       jra at baylink.com
Designer                     The Things I Think                       RFC 2100
Ashworth & Associates     http://baylink.pitas.com         2000 Land Rover DII
St Petersburg FL USA               #natog                      +1 727 647 1274


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