[sf-lug] Ubuntu release ("back on-list" sub thread)

[Rick Moen]

Quoting bobbie sellers (bliss at california.com):

> Well using your example perhaps it is good that this list is
> setup this way.  On the other lists we are replying to list interests
> and not necessarily to personal acquaintances.

But when that _does_ happen, it can be pretty harmful.  (That's not to
mention the occasional mail-loop interaction with some autoresponders.)  
I would not be able to look the Bobs of this world, who suffer that
mishap, in the eye and not feel guilty, if I'd supported or enabled the
sabotaging of normal replying you speak of.  You shouldn't, either.

If I knew better and permitted or supported it, I'd feel downright
ashamed.  Which I guess is the big difference between me and advocates
of that system-administrative error.

> But I can pick the members name(s) out of my contact list or simply
> click on their e-mail address in a current message to send private
> mail.

However, it's a _whole_ lot simpler, and is normal, RFC-documented
behaviour, to simply hit "r".

I'm sorry you (and some other people) are accustomed to badly -- and in
fact unethically -- misconfigured mailing list software.  _This_ mailing
list will be a taste of the real Internet for you, then.  Welcome.
Here's how real mailing lists work (and in fact how real SMTP mail
works, generally):

1.  Your "Reply" command reaches just the sender.
2.  Your "Reply-to-All" reaches the sender plus his/her other addresses.

You should always use Reply-to-All when responding to ongoing mailing
list threads.  Use Reply _only_ when you have some compelling reason to
depart from the mailing list into private mail (and then please do
explain your sudden insistence on having a private discussion with
someone who thought he/she was participating in a public one).

The only mailing lists on which that doesn't work are those going out of
their way to sabotage your ability to send private replies.   On those,
you must take manual further steps to overcome the artificial obstacle.