Many thanks to the people who responded to my cry for help with respect
to the problems that some of my subscribers are having with the colon
following a topic being converted to a dash.  Several of my subscribers
responded directly to me.  Two of these messages I want to share with the
list:
 
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From root Tue Oct  4 13:48:47 1994
Date:    Tue, 04 Oct 94 15:48 EDT
To: [log in to unmask]
From: "Wayne Marr"                                <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Eric is right, Wayne
 
 
  Dear James:
 
  I saw your message on the listowner's list. Mike (my partner)
  at Harvard was forced to use his AOL account. His quickmail
  program made the : into a - (We think it is in the source
  code). Luckily we are the only ones that post to the list.
 
  The only alternative we have come-up with is to use
  a mailer that one know doesn't do this. Most universities
  allow you several different mail options. Pine, elm, Eurdora,
  UCLA, etc. -- Have them change accounts or they will simply
  not be able to use topics.  Strange but true.
 
  Wayne Marr
 
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From root Tue Oct  4 15:43:02 1994
Date: 4 Oct 1994 14:39:07 U
From: "Peter-Zwick Global-Affairs" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Colon converted to dash
To: "James Graham" <[log in to unmask]>
 
        Reply to:   RE>Colon converted to dash in
As one of the people having this problem, I have pursued it with the "techies"
here.  The problem, as I understand it, is not with the "system" but with
messages sent on a Macintosh versus a PC.  When I send a message through my PC
there is no problem of conversion, but when I send one through my Macintosh the
colon is converted.  Not being a Mac user and only recently having used one, I
am not clear on all the nuances, but apparently Macintosh operating systm uses
colons as a symbol for dividing file names ( or something like that), so it is
not legal to use this symbol for other purposes in a command line when sending
on a Macintosh.  Whether or not this makes any sense, there is apparently
nothing that anyone can do about it here, or, I suspect, anywhere else.
 
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So we know that Macintosh is definitely one of the culprits, if not the
only one.  Another possibility is Quickmail.
 
        ... Jim <[log in to unmask]>
                INTER-L List Manager (co-owner)