From: David Ross (ross_at_math.hawaii.edu)
Date: Wed Aug 02 2000 - 06:11:09 EDT
"Who do I complain to if"
Yet another reason for descriptive headers; makes deletion without
reading so
much easier. Alas, it is unlikely that the *first* person to start such
a thread will
use a sufficiently descriptive header, but if responsible continuations
contain relevant elements
then it shouldn't be a huge burden. It *does* mean a bit of editing
with a post, rather than
just pushing mindlessly away at the 'reply all' button.
As for complaints, direct them to the guilty poster , *without* cc'ing
them to the list at large,
please.
An example:
From: cardpuncher
To: Thinkpad List
Subject: cards jamming
Message:
Help, the cards keep jamming in my ThinkPad's punch card reader. Can
you help?
A potentially unhelpful reply:
###
From: tapereader
To: cardpuncher, Thinkpad List, that annoying Ross person
Subject: Re: cards jamming
Message:
Your problem is that you use JCL, which is the worst OS since, er, using
a solder gun on Eniac.
Is your machine a 360? Well, that's the problem; upgrade to a PDP-8s,
write your programs
in FOCAL, and enter them on the high-speed tape reader. Much more
stable than cards.
###
What (if anything!) could be emailed in reply (2 messages):
###
From: that annoying Ross person
To Thinkpad List
Subject: [TPnone] OT - punch cards and JCL (was: cards jamming)
Message:
Cardpuncher - I *think* that the card reader on your ThinkPad is for
pcmcia cards, not
punch cards, but you should consult the manual to be sure.
Everyone else - please please please let us move any discussion of JCL
vs. solder to
alt.religion on Usenet, where it belongs
- DR
###
From: that annoying Ross person
To tapereader
Subject: Your TP list post (was: JCL sucks; was: cards jamming)
Message:
I entirely agree that JCL sucks. However, it has enough defenders that
it is likely to
cause a flurry of noise on the TP list. I suggest that in any future
posts on the subject you
include something in the header which will make it clear that your post
is not really about
ThinkPads. You might, for example, include in the header the string:
"Warning: this post contains a
virus, delete without reading!"
Thank you,
DR
###
Note that the more provocative of the replies does *not* include the TP
list in a reply field.
- David (that annoying Ross person), with another unsolicited opinion on
netiquette.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.3 : Thu Jan 23 2003 - 09:56:17 EST