The standardized prefixes you sometimes see on the subject lines of
mailing list messages are usually added by the mailing list software
(Majordomo in the case of the autox.team.net lists), not by the
subscribers' mail software. Majordomo can be configured to do that, but
the debate among Majordomo managers and list owners as to whether it is a
good or bad thing to do sometimes gets pretty heated. I use that feature
in most of the Majordomo lists I run at our site, but I'm probably in the
minority among all Majordomo users.
The problem with user-inserted prefixes is that it's impossible to get all
list subscribers to agree to use the same prefix (or any prefix at all).
The result is usually pretty chaotic.
On Wed, 3 Dec 1997, Peter J. Thomas wrote:
> I received many replies to my recent post suggesting prefixing post
> subjects with a standard prefix. All of them recommended updating my
> mail reader. I am in the process of doing so.
>
> I would like make a few points:
>
> 1. Changing mail readers means purchasing new software. (Are there any
> good freeware readers for Windows?)
>
> 2. Archived mail cannot easily (if at all) be ported between readers. I
> asked Netscape how to transfer archived mail between MS Exchange to
> Netscape Mail. Their response was to purchase third party software to
> convert the mail (no recommendations).
>
> 3. Many subscribers receive mail at work and are forced to use the mail
> facilities in place. Upgrading may not be an option. I would guess
> some subscribers still use the UNIX mail command.
>
> 4. The prefix is common practice on some mail lists.
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Chip Old 1948 M.G. TC TC6710 NEMGTR #2271
Cub Hill, Maryland 1962 Triumph TR4 CT3154LO (daily driver)
fold@mail.bcpl.lib.md.us
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