Re: UNC Pathname Handling within Applications

[Larry Hall <cygwin-lh at cygwin dot com>]

At 02:13 PM 7/16/2004, you wrote:
>Hi,
>
>I sent the sollowing message to Larry via private mail:


Sorry.  Everything I post to the list I want to be on the list.  So only
the list version got through.  I guess you figured that out by now.  If
you would like to continue this or some other discussion off-list (and 
continuing it much beyond this is likely getting OT so that would make 
sense), reply to the list and let me know that's the direction you want
to go.  I'll then reply to you directly and we can finish up off list.


>- - - Schnipp - - -
>Hi Larry,
>
>please don't use tofu mails. http://www.vranx.de/mail/tofu.html


Ah-huh.


>* Larry Hall wrote (2004-07-16 17:41):
>>The best way to insure that you get only one copy of any response from the
>>list is to set your reply-to to point to the list.
>
>I think the Reply-To header is quite unfit for that.
>
>For once, it it mungled often enough that I had to check with every
>list whether I could use it or not.


OK, it is not munged by this list.


>Second, the Reply-To header has a different purpose. If would eg. post
>to the list from a mobile phone, I would want a way to ensure that I
>don't get the entire list on this mobile, accumulating huge costs.
>Reply-To ist that way.


Sorry, you've left this a bit vague.  If you're implying that you want 
to get a reply on your mobile and that that address is different than 
the one you subscribed to the list with, I agree.  But that doesn't seem
to be particularly pertinent other than its a way that Reply-To can be 
used. 


>Third, Reply-To is a much stronger way to redirect replies. If this
>mail would have been sent to the list, I might set the Reply-To header
>to indicate that further discussion should be done off-list.


That's fine, if that's what you want.



>Instead I use the Mail-Followup-To header as described here:
>http://cr.yp.to/proto/replyto.html
>


So you do.  I guess my email client doesn't honor that. :-(  Sorry about 
that.  Well, looks like we're at a bit of an impasse here then until one 
of us makes a change, unless I *always* remember to edit my replies to you
(not likely unfortunately).


>>Depending on the software you use, you may find that you can easily
>>filter out duplicates too.
>
>That wouldn't be entirely satisfactory either for two reasons:
>- The list mail would usually arrive second and be destroyed. That
>leaves not-list messages in my list folder.
>- I might be lead to think that it *is* a personal reply (like this
>one) and answer personally where a list answer might be more
>approppriate.


People do this with their email clients directly or through the help
of procmail.  Obviously, there are ways to address your concerns, though
I'm not suggesting that this is what you need to do.  Just that it is an
option for you as a way to deal with those who can't or won't honor your 
settings/requests.


>>I don't second-guess the implied intent of posters to whom I respond
>>by editing the recipient list but my email client automatically
>>honors when "reply-to" is set.  Most do.  I'd recommend setting it
>>when you correspond with this list or any that you subscribe to.
>
>Actually, I wonder what possible reasons could exist to send every
>mail twice, and even by default. I haven't checked, but I guess you
>cannot subscribe this list or any other write-only, so in what
>possible situation would the second mail enhance communication?


You guessed wrong.  That's exactly why I use reply-to-all.  You don't have 
to be subscribed to the list to post to it.


>So my recommendation to you, O wise one, is to just skip the second
>mail, reply to the list *or* in personal way as preferred for a
>particular mail and be done with it.


OK, fair recommendation, considering I had ones for you (well I would have
called my suggestions but what's semantics between friends ;-) ).  Just 
like you, I have reasons for replying as I do and they have served me well 
on this list low these many years.  I don't plan on changing them.  I 
have added "followup-to" to my list of important features that my next
email client has, once I make a switch though.  Thanks for the pointer to
that.



--
Larry Hall                              http://www.rfk.com
RFK Partners, Inc.                      (508) 893-9779 - RFK Office
838 Washington Street                   (508) 893-9889 - FAX
Holliston, MA 01746                     


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