[sclug] Reply-to: sclug?

[Roland Turner SCLUG]

John Stumbles wrote:


> Having yet again cluelessly replied to the sender of a message rather
> than the list can I suggest/request that whoever maintains this list
> set  it so that messages from the list have either From: or Reply-to:
> the list?
>
> Or has this been discussed & dismissed before for some reason?


I don't know whether this has has been discussed before on this list, but
it certainly has been at great length on many others!

What you suggest would have the effect of actively breaking correctly
behaving software for the benefit of careless users and/or those who are
using antediluvian MUAs/mail-clients. This not only breaches the principle
of least surprise ("I pressed 'reply to sender', not 'reply to list', but
it went to the list anyway!") but also the "do no harm"/fail-safe
principle ("the reason that I didn't want the reply to go to the list was
because it contained confidential information"); it is vastly preferable
for carelessly sent email to go to too few people than for it to go to too
many people. If you really are using software so old/broken that it
doesn't have seperate operations/options for replying to sender, list or
all then, seriously, upgrade.

- Raz