Re: Reply to list only (was: Too many open files)
Hi,
On Sat, Aug 23, 2025 at 09:26:16AM +0200, Michel Verdier wrote:
> Good mailers have different reply modes. "reply" use only From, "wide
> reply" use also Cc and adresses from To (I think you used this one), and
> "reply to list" which is the good one to use. If you don't have it and
> don't want to change your mailer, manually remove adresses from To is the
> right option.
I think that writing reply instructions in the signature of an email is
a bit like trying to communicate with your plumber by scrawling a note
on toilet paper and flushing it. There will be a very low success rate.
My level of irritation upon receiving a personal copy of list email is
non-zero, but is still; almost unmeasurable to me, so I have difficulty
empathising with people who take it so seriously as to actually write
instructions, but that's just me.
In the specific case of debian mailing lists, are there ways to influence what
happens when the typical gmail user presses "reply all"? I am thinking
what happens if you set "Reply-To" and/or "Mail-Followup-To" by yourself
to be that of the list? I've done so here. What happens if you do a
group reply? (you don't have to actually send the email, just see what
would happen if you did).
It would be my hope that a group reply on such an email would only offer
to send the reply to the list, so that people could just do that rather
than try to tell humans how to reply. But I prepare to be disappointed
in software.
Either way, expecting the vast bulk of email users to be able to follow
such instructions seems like just a way to set oneself up for having a
thing to complain about these days.
Thanks,
Andy
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