On Fri, 12 Dec 2008 03:18:47 +0000, Chip Davis <c...@aresti.com> wrote:
>This is a minor problem in the overall scheme of things but I have noticed it >occurring with greater frequency lately. > >It appears that sometimes members of a discussion list will initiate a new topic >by simply replying to a recent posting and changing the 'Subject:' line. This >is a handy shortcut to avoid entering a 'To:' line. > >Unfortunately for those of us who get and archive massive amounts of discussion >list postings, this "reply" will appear to be a strand of the original >discussion thread, despite the different 'Subject:' line. And that totally >screws up the poor topic threader on mail clients sophisticated enough t o have one. > >The result is that such topic threads are now totally invisible when viewed in a >threaded mail reader or file manager. And yes, I know that listserver archives >are available but I do a lot of my work with custom Rexx tools on a loca l >archive, or while offline. (Right now, I'm in a camper outside of a helicopter >factory in rural north Florida. Dial-up's what I got, wi-fi's merely a dream.) > >I suspect most folks are unaware of this issue. It really should be added to >the listserver netiquette guide along with "trim your quotes", "avoid lo ng >siglines", and "never annoy Chuckie" (I'm sure that one's in there; if not it >should be added too. :-) > >Thanks for your cooperations, and we now return you to your regularly scheduled >discussion. > >-Chip Davis- >======================== ========================= ======================== Ive seen that in other mailing lists and wondered why it happened. I dont actually know what you are talking about, though. I am going to h ave a hard time behaving in ways that you think are polite if I dont know what it is I may be doing wrong. How is the list threading by your client? I read this list at http://listserv.uark.edu/archives/ibmvm.html. It appears to be threaded there by Subject line, with some allowance for headings such at Re. It occasionally splits a thread though, perhap s because of a misspelling or a trailing space. Alan Ackerman Alan (dot) Ackerman (at) Bank of America (dot) com
