----- Original Message -----
From: "Nathaniel Borenstein" <nsb(_at_)guppylake(_dot_)com>
To: "Keith Moore" <moore(_at_)cs(_dot_)utk(_dot_)edu>
Cc: <ietf-822(_at_)imc(_dot_)org>; "Charles Lindsey"
<chl(_at_)clerew(_dot_)man(_dot_)ac(_dot_)uk>
Sent: Monday, October 18, 2004 10:33 AM
Subject: Re: Understanding response protocols
We need to map system behavior onto abstractions that normal users will
be able to comprehend. The present situation is actually be pretty
good in this regard, except for the little matter of duplicate
elimination. But most of us realize that isn't possible in all case --
if I send mail to "foo(_at_)bar(_dot_)com, baz(_at_)ola(_dot_)com" I have no
way of telling
that foo(_at_)bar(_dot_)com actually forwards to
baz(_at_)ola(_dot_)com(_dot_) In the most general
case, the only duplicate detection you can completely depend on will be
on the receiver's side. This suggests two possible courses of action:
-- Change nothing, and leave most duplicate-eliminateion to the
receiver-side software.
-- Try to optimize some specific common cases, which is the goal of MFT.
The issue is how the MUA is not designed to expect an "email message" to be
viewed as a "group conferencing" concept.
The natural Reply for an email is to go back to the one person who wrote it.
However, in a list distribution, the "list address" is the new responsible
"person" or "entity" for where a natural reply should go to.
So the question is, if the MUA is currently designed to see the EMAIL style
response logic to include the user of Reply-To:/From: for the natural reply
address, should the backend list manager do more in this area to assist in
the process?
I say yes, and this works 100% in this area.
However, when the user wants to send directly to a user offlist, then it is
not so natural anymore with the current MUAs.
Not adjusting the Reply-To: forces the natural reply for a email-list
message to go to the author, not the list address.
So far for our customer base, we have never had any report, wish item or
comment about the "lack of ability" send directly to a list member. That
could be because they understand that they are part of a list and the
natural reply is to go back to the list. Do anything else, needs extra
steps.
In any case, from a design standpoint, I see the solution is to have a
"indicator" that could help prepare future MUAs the difference between:
- 1 to 1 Email message
- 1 to Many Email Message
I think we need a standard set of new headers that might begin with having a
"List-Address:" which would be the natural reply address option. The future
MUA would have a 3rd option:
Reply to List --> List-Address:
Reply to Author --> Reply-To: | From:
Reply to All --> whatever
Thanks
---
Hector Santos, CTO
WINSERVER "Wildcat! Interactive Net Server"
support: http://www.winserver.com
sales: http://www.santronics.com