An end? Well, maybe not, Martin. But I will now attempt to put this
thread so far out that it will die a most horrible death.
Most of the Lists I belong to are set up so that reply goes directly to
the list. From where I sit, there are good things and bad things about
it. Most of the time, I don't have to give much thought to what I'm
doing, and off goes the response. However, sometimes I think I'm talking
to just one person on the list, and I find it's gone to everyone : see
lots of messages like that, followed up by abject apologies. Can be
embarrassing. Some lists are set up like this one ; on the whole, these
lists are run by and for computer people. Historians, sociologists,
anthropologists or linguists do it the friendly, obvious way. Geeks do
it *this* way (am I allowed to use the term 'geek', or is it considered
abusive?)
Way I look at it is, you guys probably know what you're doing when it
comes to matters practico-technical (matters metaphorical is something
else : the guy who wrote that stuff about cathedrals and bazaars knows
nothing about either of them, and I'd have him shut away for two weeks
with Duby and Braudel - Gates is all about Bazaars, and fixing prices).
So you've got this list rigged the way you like it, and that's okay by
me.
In any case, most mail software makes it pretty simple to deal with.
Eudora lets you get at the addresses you're sending to directly, Becky
gives you a 'selected addresses' button, and the Bat gives you a whole
set of tools which will help. (I'm still in Windows here, until I can
get this damned thing installed).
But in the end, the whole question is going to go away : I have an ADSL
permanent connection. Most of the lists I'm on, I now set to NOMAIL, and
go check the archives whenever I feel like it. If I want to contribute,
I've got the list address in my address book - means you have to type in
the Subject bit, but so what? Leaves my mail-box uncluttered, ready for
the personal messages that I really like to receive. It's a long time
since the day when I had 56K, dial-up-and-pay service, and someone on a
funky music list (for my son - my own tastes run to Ligeti and the
Magnetic Fields) sent the whole web-site for the Ohio Players. Now, he
did get a flame.
Best wishes
--
Timothy Mason