[tlug] [Survey] Threaded email reader use cases

["Stephen J. Turnbull" <stephen@example.com>]

Starting a new thread in case anybody is still discussing ltmodem
source. :-)

>>>>> "Godwin" == Godwin Stewart <godwin.stewart@example.com> writes:

    Godwin> On Tue, 17 Jan 2006 14:25:37 -0800 (PST), sjs@example.com
    Godwin> wrote:

    >> Sorry -- I wasn't replying to your mail.  I don't think my
    >> original had a Re: in it and thought I had changed the subject
    >> to indicate a different -- or at least divergent thread. :)

    Godwin> Yes you were. You looked at my message, hit "Reply",
    Godwin> cleared the subject line thinking that would start a new
    Godwin> thread, and sent off your message.  This is called "thread
    Godwin> hijacking."

Far be it from me to suggested that nonconformance to standards and/or
netiquette is unacceptable, but this particular one just doesn't
bother me that much.  Since I have some XEmacs-related friends who are
currently moaning about how all MUAs suck, I'm curious about this---I
may apply some CopiousFreeTime to the problem if I ever get a round
tuit.

Specifically, here's how I handle it.

I use Gnus and/or VM, typically in a 35-40 line Emacs window.  If the
thread gets hijacked, I remove the "read" mark from the current
message, and drop down to the sibling of the hijacking post.  If I'm
uninterested in the hijack, I kill the rest of the subthread as well.
In this particular case, the thread ran off the summary display (the
normal display is split 1/3 summary == "flags-author-subject lines" to
2/3 message content), but that's easily handled by expanding the
summary display to full height.  Later, since the subthread root post
is marked as unread, I navigate to "first unread".  In both Emacs
MUAs, all operations mentioned are one keystroke chord.

So, is this strategy

(a) impossible in your MUA
(b) inconvenient in your MUA
(c) unthinkable (or at least unthought) by you up to now
(d) against your (Netiquette Martinetist) religious beliefs?

The only problem I've ever run into is the occasional person who
returns to the original thread from the hijacked subthread, but they
usually get screamed at almost as loudly as the original hijacker!

-- 
School of Systems and Information Engineering http://turnbull.sk.tsukuba.ac.jp
University of Tsukuba                    Tennodai 1-1-1 Tsukuba 305-8573 JAPAN
               Ask not how you can "do" free software business;
              ask what your business can "do for" free software.