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Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!nbires!isis!aburt
From: aburt@isis.UUCP (Andrew Burt)
Newsgroups: news.admin,news.software.b
Subject: Re: Novel new idea to stop followups
Message-ID: <2063@isis.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 3-Dec-87 10:44:45 EST
Article-I.D.: isis.2063
Posted: Thu Dec  3 10:44:45 1987
Date-Received: Wed, 9-Dec-87 19:36:55 EST
References: <1173@looking.UUCP> <2476@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu>
Reply-To: aburt@isis.UUCP (Andrew Burt)
Organization: Math/CS, University of Denver
Lines: 34
Xref: mnetor news.admin:1486 news.software.b:1014

>brad@looking.UUCP writes:
>   People in the past have suggested that followups shouldn't be done
>   until after all the news in a group is read.

First let's get straight what problem it is we're trying to solve.  I see
two offhand: (1) Person replies only to find a later msg in the group says
the same thing (i.e., the effort was wasted); (2) person replies and is
very hotheaded, delaying will cause them to cool down.

Re (2), if someone wants to be hotheaded I think they'd just as soon escape
to vi, write their hotheaded msg, and save it until they could post.  I don't
see that the software will be able to influence this (whether it *should* or
not is another matter entirely).

However, (1) is a valid concern of mine.  I know a solution I would like to
see for this would be: For the newsreader programs, particularly rn, to
display after the subject, "[NNN more articles with same subject]".

Presuming people keep the subject lines meaningful and without needless
change, as many people do, it is then obvious whether it is time to think
about following up yet or not; I think the natural tendency would be to
wait for it to read "[0 more ...]" before hitting the 'f' key.

This also makes it easier to decide when to hit the 'k' key in rn...
(Mebbe it's just me, but I feel frustrated when I hit 'k' and it says
no more articles, so the next time I *don't* hit 'k', and I see three
followups I didn't want to read... or I see a followup, hit 'k', and it
says no more... I seem to have bad timing with respect to hitting 'k'
when it will do the most good :-)
-- 

Andrew Burt 				   			isis!aburt

              Fight Denver's pollution:  Don't Breathe and Drive.