OT: Threading -- by subj or message ID/ref?

[Gary Turner <kk5st@sbcglobal.net>]

This is frustrating.  My MUA allows threading by the subject line or by
the message ID and reference headers.

If I thread by subject:

Pro; People who start *new* threads by hitting "reply" (WTF? are they
too lazy to type an address?) and change the subject line do start a new
thread.  It is not folded into an existing thread.

Con; A change in the subject line such as "foo is frobitzed" to "foo is
better" to "foo is fixed" breaks threads.  This type of subject variance
is recommended in many forums.  The thread may be scattered through
hundreds of other posts.

If threaded by message ID/ref:

Pro; Thread integrity is maintained through forks in the subject. As
long as the posting is a reply, everything is kept together.

Con; Depends on people knowing the difference between "reply" and "new".
Postings created as replies rather than as new get folded into the
existing thread.  It may get missed if the thread is not of interest, or
can cause confusion as you read through what you thought were replies.

I lean toward the ID/ref method.  It seems to be the logical way to go
as anything posted as a reply is kept in the thread.  Of course, subject
line threading has its own logic.  Either depends on folks following
some procedure.

Is there a consensus?
--
gt                  kk5st@sbcglobal.net
 If someone tells you---
 "I have a sense of humor, but that's not funny." 
                                  ---they don't.