Q: address lists, composition, and printing

[Andy Boden <bode ipac caltech edu>]

Hi, I'm a new balsa user (about 2 weeks now), and on the whole I like the
tool -- it certainly adds value to my life, so I'd like to start by
thanking the development team.

Of course, any message that starts like that eventually has to lead to some
gripes, and I'd like to float these here -- maybe somebody can
constructively correct my misimpressions.

I have a few qustions (requests) about (for) balsa: address lists,
composition, and printing.  I apologise in advance if any of these are
definitively covered elsewhere and I have missed them.

1) I want to start by asking about address lists.  The individual address
expansion based on an address book is certainly a useful feature.  But just
as useful is the idea of a higher-order address structure expansion on top
of individual recipients.  For instance, text-based mail tools have all
seemed to converge on the idea of address list expansion.  If you don't
follow my meaning, the canonical example is the ability to define a local
meta-address (list) in my ".mailrc" file:

>
> alias myList bode@ipac.caltech.edu president@whitehouse.gov ...
>

With such a definition, mail addressed to myList is sent to all the
adressees on the meta-list.

Am I correct that this feature doesn't exist in the balsa app?  If not,
could someone hopefully provide a pointer?  If so, could I request that
this feature be added -- it would greatly facilitate dealing with long
address lists in the relatively small To window in the composition tool.
Which leads me to my next point...

2) The Composition tool is passible, but I need to second (Nth) the vote
that balsa allow the use of external editors for message composition.  In
addition to the many features that other text editors provide, there are
enough small differences between the balsa "emacs-like" text environment
and real emacs to be a little annoying.

3) Printing.  I'm in the US, and my printers generally have letter (rather
than A4) paper in them.  I see references on the mailing list about
printing to letter stock, and I correct in understanding that to make a
change to letter format requires a RECOMPILE to balsa?  If so, I would
additionally request that this gets fixed _soon_.  If not, could someone
please give me a pointer as to how to make the change, because I'm
certainly missing the point of the existing posts on this topic.


Thank you for your time in advance.  Best wishes, and congratulations on
your successful efforts to this point.

											- Andy Boden



-- 
Andy Boden -- bode@ipac.caltech.edu
Interferometry Science Center (IPAC/Caltech)
770 S. Wilson Ave, MS 100-22
Pasadena, CA  91125
818/354-0225