Re: [Evolution] Reply for list messages should go back to the list

[Patrick O'Callaghan <poc usb ve>]

On Fri, 2010-07-16 at 15:12 +0000, Pete Biggs wrote:
> What I think is rude and unacceptable are the people who write a
> message to a list where *they* are asking for help and they say "don't
> forget to CC: me in any replies because I don't want to read the
> list". If you are asking for help, at least be polite enough to meet
> people half way. It is often the same people who ask FAQs.

We're getting a bit OT here, but I agree with Pete on this. My take on
it as follows:

David has said several times that it's rude not to reply directly (via
CC) to posts on mailing lists. I have to say this is the first time I've
seen this position advocated. Maybe I've led a sheltered life, but I
don't recall it being mentioned in any of the usual guides to netiquette
and couldn't find any mention of it on the first page of results
returned by a Google search ("netiquette mailing lists"). Perhaps I
didn't look hard enough, but that in itself would indicate that it's not
a common opinion.

People who ask questions on mailing lists are not writing to me, they
are writing to a group of people represented by the list membership.
Think of it as asking a question in a town-hall meeting. Given that they
aren't writing to me, why should I assume I need to reply explicitly to
them (unless they request it) as well as giving a public response?
Rudeness doesn't enter into it. A public forum is not the same as a
private communication.

Now back to our regularly-scheduled program.

poc