Re: [Fsfe-uk] How fsfe-uk works :o)

[Chris Croughton]

On Wed, Feb 05, 2003 at 07:16:26AM +0000, Alex Hudson wrote:

> Long story: yes, I guess this is bizarre in a way, and it always catches
> people out, me included. However, there is a good reason that it is this
> way: if the Reply button was used to send email back to the list (often
> called 'Reply-To Munging', there are plenty of articles pro- and ante-
> if you search for them), you wouldn't be able to contact the original
> author privately if you wished. 
 
You would if you used a decent mailer (like, for instance, mutt, which
asks me if I want to reply to the Reply-To address, if I say No then it
asks if I want to reply to the From: address).

The problem with group reply is that if the thread involves several
people, they all get the response twice:

  A posts to the list
  B group replies to A and the list
  C group replies to A, B and the list
  D group replies to A, B, C and the list

because group replies include all addresses found.

> So, if you want to send messages to our list (and, please do! that's
> that it's here for!) you need to hit Reply-Group instead. Some clients
> also have a Reply-List function as well (personally, I use Ximian's
> Evolution client, and this has the Reply-List function). I'm told even
> popular proprietary mail clients have this functionality :o)

And eventually, there is no need for a reply to include the list
explicitly because all replies go to everyone anyway as a massive CC
header.  And a load of people, like me, get pissed off because they get
two copies of each message (in separate mailboxes, yet!).

Chris C