READ ME: When replying to users digest...

[Paul W. Frields]

On Wed, Mar 21, 2012 at 08:31:13AM -0430, Patrick O'Callaghan wrote:
> On Wed, 2012-03-21 at 11:48 +0000, Phil Dobbin wrote:
> > Cameron Simpson <cs at zip.com.au>
> > Date:
> > 21/03/2012 00:24
> > To:
> > Community support for Fedora users <users at lists.fedoraproject.org>
> > 
> > > On 21Mar2012 00:49, suvayu ali <fatkasuvayu+linux at gmail.com>
> > > wrote:
> > | Well from my experience when I subscribed to this list as new user, I
> > | started with the digest (with gmail) intending to only passively read
> > | rather than respond. But when I felt I had responses to contribute, I
> > | switched from a digest to regular emails.
> > 
> > > I find digests difficult to read. (RISKS aside, I guess). With
> > > regular email the threads are nicely grouped on my screen, the
> > > whole thread history is there for perusal or discarding, etc. With
> > > a digest I get ungrouped snapshots of everything. Like a newspaper,
> > > in fact:-(
> > 
> > As someone who at present reads this list on digest (as you can
> > probably tell by my cut & paste job in attempt to make it more
> > legible), I use use digest-mode for several lists to control the
> > number of messages each day (I'm subscribed to about thirty mailing
> > lists out of necessity).
> 
> Actually I can tell because it's not collated with the rest of this
> thread, which was the main point I was trying to make.
> 
> > Digest mode is perfectly acceptable for use when searching for
> > relevant topics but a bore when replying. Mailing list software varies
> > in its capabilities on the response side of things so I always use cut
> > & paste. Believe me, the version of the response I see on the digest
> > is far worse than someone who is subscribed for regular delivery ;-)
> 
> Sounds like an argument for not using digests. Any decent mail client
> can search over multiple messages, so what's the point?

Phil, it sounds like perhaps it's not the number of messages itself
that's the issue -- but rather, that they all end up in your Inbox and
make it hard to find the personal email you want to see sooner.  In my
opinion, a better way to solve the problem is to filter your email by
putting your mailing list email into one or more (I prefer more, based
on the list!) folders.  That way your Inbox stays unclogged, but you
can more easily see, and participate in, the conversation threads that
happen on the list.

I agree that digest mode nowadays really isn't solving people's
problems.  In days where most anyone on the network was only connected
for a very short time, and bandwidth was extremely scarce, it made
more sense.  Nowadays it's more of a hassle than a help IMHO.
Nevertheless, we still serve it out and have no plans to remove the
option AFAIK. :-)

-- 
Paul W. Frields                                http://paul.frields.org/
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