--- Changing subject lines / Eugenio Gatto. - Torino, 1996-06-22
 
"I think it would be great to have it as an option to turn off or on. My
mail program sorts by: Subject, sender,size, time, date Thats about it.
If I have mail coming in from three lists from folks all over without a
similar item in common ..." ["Kathy in Pa. USA" <[log in to unmask]>,
LSTOWN-L, 1996-06-21]
 
Nothing against the possibility of adding a short identifier in front of
the subject: list name may well be thougth as a "super-topic"; but the
feature should be configurable at the user level (SET command), since it
is redundant or otherwise unuseful for many.
 
Probably users begin to feel this as a problem when they realize that
'sorting' has to be taken in the broad sense of 'automatic delivering to
different folders': this means organization, and some form of (minimal)
programming to accomodate personal habits. It can't be done with
over-simple mail software, but it would be incorrect to force a general
solution. The best thing to suggest, to users who cannot afford jumping
to this level, is switching to DIGEST (nobody would manage, say, 200
paper letters a day without clerical aid).
 
In any case, LISTERV cannot be blamed because of lack of a "similar item
in common", since SENDER is such (not to be confused with FROM), with
TO, RETURN-PATH (envelope FROM), and on many lists REPLY-TO. But, sure,
I know that much software actively misuse or simply discard those
fields, little used and understood in personal mail management ...
 
I miei saluti.
 
<-- Eugenio Gatto <[log in to unmask]>, <[log in to unmask]>