[Users] reply-to-list annoyance

[Steve Litt]

On Fri, 30 Jan 2015 01:39:13 +0100
Michael <codejodler at gmx.ch> wrote:

> 
> Me too often run into this trouble.
> 
> I wonder if there's any valid intention, for senders, to reply with
> private mail as TO: when answering to a list -- or is it always
> rather a (little) mistake ? I have to admit i never tried to mix up
> list with offlist recipients, so maybe lack insight.

I agree. But it's 2015, the unwashed masses are gmailing from their
devices, and it's not just about capslock or even top posting anymore.
Any conceivable thing people can do to ambiguify the mail they send,
they're doing. Contextless email. Email that doesn't mark quoted text
as quoted text, so it looks like they're arguing with themselves.
Mailing to you and copying the list (as if you don't see the list). So
these days, you need to receive email defensively, and not just from
spammers.

> 
> If it was a regular mistake, and there just no sane reason to do it,
> then i wonder if that kind of mistake couldn't be corrected just
> regularly, by the MUA, right before any such mail gets delivered.
> Like setting TO to the list, automaticly, and putting anybody else
> into CC, while dropping any CCs that can be identified as on list too.
> 
> This sounds pretty much like what's gotten proposed already, it's
> merely a change point of view - not only correcting weird replies but
> avoid create such replies in the first place.

I think perhaps I could use my procmail to list all messages that go
both to me and to a list, into a file. I could then have a daemon that
runs down that file, determines whether any of the lists are lists in
my Dovecot tree, and deletes the one to me if so.

It's a lot to go through just to get around those who pointlessly send
to both me and the list I'm obviously on, but hey, this is 2015.

SteveT

Steve Litt                *  http://www.troubleshooters.com/
Troubleshooting Training  *  Human Performance