On Fri, Aug 29, 2014 at 6:54 PM, Chris Angelico <ros...@gmail.com> wrote: > On Sat, Aug 30, 2014 at 8:40 AM, Joel Goldstick > <joel.goldst...@gmail.com> wrote: >> On this list I use reply all (using gmail) because reply takes the >> first recipient, which is the poster. I am on another list where this >> isn't true. > > Yes, and I've been on a few lists that have gone through the > discussion of why it should be one way or the other way. > > The biggest problem is that Gmail doesn't have a "reply to list" > option to select as the default. (Nor do a number of other mail > clients; I'm not knocking Gmail specifically here, but it's what > several of us use, so it's the example I'm discussing.) In the absence > of such, there are basically four possibilities: > > 1) The list can be set to send replies to the list > 1a) You might want to send to the list > 1b) You might want to send a private message > 2) The list can be set to send replies to the original poster > 2a) As above > 2b) As above > 3) The list can also be set to send replies somewhere else, but that's > not germane to this discussion. > > In case 1a, it's easy. Everything happens as it should. In case 2b, > it's also easy. You hit reply, it goes to the original poster, like > you want. So how do we handle the cross cases? > > Case 2a is what python-list and Savoynet are set to. You want to reply > to the list? Hit Reply-All and then remove the original poster, or hit > Reply and change the destination. (That's a great option if you have > only one list. It's a terrible option if you have as many lists as I > have, because you'll change the destination wrongly.) > > Case 1b is how I set up the Gilbert & Sullivan Society Committee > mailing list. It's meant primarily to be for discussions amongst a > small group (the committee consists of maybe a dozen people), and most > of them are not particularly technically adept (the G&S Society is an > artistic society (we perform light opera/operetta), so most of the > people who run it are artistic people, although we have for example a > treasurer who's an accountant); sending replies to the list makes the > most sense, and keeps the discussion where it needs to be. But how do > you go about sending a private reply? It's unusual on the committee > list, but it does happen; and you have to hit Reply or Reply-All, then > delete the list's name and manually copy and paste (or retype!) the > sender's address. This is VERY error-prone. It's really easy to > accidentally tell the list what was supposed to be private. The bigger > the list, the more common private replies will tend to be. > > I would advise huge lists of unrelated people (python-list, Savoynet, > any general interest group) to have replies go to the poster, and > small lists of closely related people can consider having replies to > the list by default. But of course, there'll be exceptions either way. > > ChrisA > -- > https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
That was enlighting Chris. I apologize to list readers if they are getting two versions of everything I send. I don't get two versions sent to me, so I assumed others wouldn't either. I'm not sure why I assumed that, as it really doesn't make sense. Maybe gmail filters one of them for me. Anyway, I'll do reply all and delete the OP. -- Joel Goldstick http://joelgoldstick.com -- https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
