Re: [Evolution] Evolution not quite Eudora yet

[grok <grok sprint ca>]

On Tue, 2002-06-11 at 11:04, Not Zed wrote:
> On Wed, 2002-06-12 at 12:58, grok wrote:
> > In the 'Contacts' module, it seems to me that none of the 'Categories'
> > off the main Contact list are _globally_ available to 'expand' a typed
> > alias in an outgoing message header field. This seems awfully limiting,
> > and presently I have to manually click on the To; Cc: Bcc: buttons and
> > drop menus just in order to get to these email addresses -- and select
> > them one-by-one at that. Creating lists is just as 'click-consuming'.
>
> What exactly do you mean?  I dont follow.  You mean when you compose a
> message?  What do categories have to do with it?  Do you mean other
> contact folders?

I mean 'subfolders' off the main 'Contacts' folder.

[I think I was accurate and clear enuff above; the problem here appears
to be IMO, that even MORE 'context' is needed when starting a new thread
'cold' -- as many readers/developers have to deal with hundreds of
emails daily. A certain 'desensitizing' to words and phrases seems to
set in...]

I referred to 'an outgoing message header field' -- i.e. when composing
an email. In Eudora (and other programs I assume; can't remember
Netscape/Mozilla) I could globally (i.e. any alias in the addressbook)
type an alias into the To: Cc: Bcc: fields -- and it would be
_immediately_ expanded to the full address. Very useful indeed for
double-checking accuracy.

In Evolution, I seem only to be able to type in aliases **which are in
the main 'root' 'Contacts' folder** (i.e. the folder found above 'Inbox'
in the folder-tree window) -- meaning that I apparently cannot access
(by typing, anyway) any alias (or whatever they are called in Evolution)
which I have squirrelled-away **in a sub-folder of 'Contacts'**.
Not very useful -- and I was wondering if there was something I wasn't
aware of here?

I do like the feature that aliases with multiple possible email
addresses have a *context-menu* which can be dropped-down to chose which
particular address to use; but still, the ability to view an alias
expanded into the email address it refers to is, IMO something GOOD,
which should be aimed at as a feature -- regardless of other
considerations.

As regards the 'globally available' problem:



> You dont have to manually click on anything anyway, you can also type.

In creating a *'Contact List' (your name for it) alias* (i.e. an alias
which is itself a list of _email_ aliases), one should be able to select
from a menu/dialog/window of aliases, from any subfolder -- besides also
being able to type something in, too; [and should be able to at least
refer to the original list lying underneath the 'dialog' window.
Drag-n-drop was referred-to, but not really possible(?) with overlapping
windows];
but REGARDLESS of all the above: ***these aliases won't function in any
list if they are in subfolders, and any lists in subfolders cannot be
typed into anything either***. They AREN'T THERE ('officially'). They're
not being found. They're not being expanded.

The problem is the 'Contacts' *subfolders'* lack of 'global
availability' of what is inside them.

Again: am I missing something here? A conffile setting?



 
> > I desperately needed to replace my old Win Eudora with something just
> > like this new Evolution, and I am pretty happy with it overall (despite
> > the frequent mail & speller component crashes; but then I am still
> > running too many unstable packages, so what the hey), and am willing to
>
> Submitting bug reports with useful backtraces is the key to getting
> these crashes fixed.

The steep Debian 'learning curve' has not allowed me heretofore to
actually be of much use in giving feedback to any project -- even
Mozilla. And, frankly, all of Debian/Gnu/Linux/Hurd is just *One Big
Beta-test* at this point. There is simply too much to do, and it's easy
to get bogged-down.
:/

Consider _this_ my first step in giving feedback to the Evo Project.
One reason I took so long to switch over to GNU/Linux was my pressing
need to also just do my daily work. Believe me -- I truly wish I were
some teenaged hacker with time to kill...






> > wait for features to be implemented; but I am wondering also whether the
> > programmers are really aiming for implementing Contact features which
> > really are as incredibly useful as those long-available in Eudora?
> >
> > Comments? Solutions?
>
> Well oddly enough, its not called eudora for a reason.  Its likely that
> what you want can be done (or will be able to be done at some point),
> but there's nothing to say it will ever be done in an identical manner
> to eudora (actually it is pretty unlikely it will be, since none of us
> have used it).

Surprising, that; but I am sure the Evo team would want at least that
level of ease-of-use/sophistication for its 'flagship' 'product' as
exists presently in Eudora. Email address lists are a pretty important
feature of any workhorse mail program IMO!

I'll be happy to do what you request of me, but it'd be REALLY nice if I
could at least get my bearings on this process.
This also seems to be a general problem with the whole GNU/Linux project
in general: plenty of info -- but precious little context or
organization of that info.




-- grok.