Path: csiph.com!fu-berlin.de!uni-berlin.de!not-for-mail From: Cameron Simpson Newsgroups: comp.lang.python Subject: Re: Meaning and purpose of the Subject field (was: Ignore error with non-zero exit status) Date: Tue, 22 Dec 2015 14:36:22 +1100 Lines: 32 Message-ID: References: <567887f2$0$1606$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed X-Trace: news.uni-berlin.de IIOHimfA0s3Z8mQBcE9Fdw9gMqvD/Q3UhUSBpNa46AxA== Return-Path: X-Original-To: python-list@python.org Delivered-To: python-list@mail.python.org X-Spam-Status: OK 0.004 X-Spam-Evidence: '*H*': 0.99; '*S*': 0.00; 'broken': 0.03; 'sufficient': 0.05; 'imply': 0.07; 'broken.': 0.09; 'thread': 0.10; 'subject:error': 0.11; 'subject: \n ': 0.15; '*always*': 0.16; '>on': 0.16; 'also:': 0.16; 'from:addr:cs': 0.16; 'from:addr:zip.com.au': 0.16; 'from:name:cameron simpson': 0.16; 'message-id:@cskk.homeip.net': 0.16; 'received:io': 0.16; 'received:psf.io': 0.16; 'simpson': 0.16; 'subject:non': 0.16; 'threading': 0.16; 'threading,': 0.16; 'wrote:': 0.16; 'changes': 0.20; 'windows': 0.20; '2015': 0.20; 'cheers,': 0.22; 'am,': 0.23; 'wrote': 0.23; 'dec': 0.23; 'header:In-Reply-To:1': 0.24; 'discussion': 0.24; 'header:User-Agent:1': 0.26; 'least': 0.27; 'outlook': 0.28; 'bad.': 0.29; 'thread,': 0.29; 'topic': 0.32; "d'aprano": 0.33; 'steven': 0.33; 'changing': 0.34; 'definition': 0.34; 'tue,': 0.34; 'skip:> 10': 0.35; 'too': 0.36; 'should': 0.36; 'apple': 0.36; 'to:addr:python-list': 0.36; 'subject:: ': 0.37; 'available.': 0.37; 'charset:us-ascii': 0.37; 'received:localdomain': 0.38; 'subject:the': 0.39; 'subject:-': 0.39; 'to:addr:python.org': 0.40; 'subject:with': 0.40; 'some': 0.40; 'clients': 0.61; 'here.': 0.62; 'information': 0.63; 'cameron': 0.66; 'strategy': 0.69; 'subject': 0.70; 'mail,': 0.72; 'express,': 0.84; 'subject:status': 0.84; 'messages:': 0.91; 'besides,': 0.93 Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <567887f2$0$1606$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com> User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.24 (2015-08-30) X-BeenThere: python-list@python.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.20+ Precedence: list List-Id: General discussion list for the Python programming language List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.python:100715 On 22Dec2015 10:14, Steven D'Aprano wrote: >On Tue, 22 Dec 2015 08:44 am, Jon Ribbens wrote about mail clients that use >the Subject line to thread messages: > >> Also: Thunderbird, The Bat!, Eudora, Gnus, Outlook, Outlook Express, >> Pegasus Mail, Pine, Apple Mail, Windows Live Mail, Yahoo Mail, >> Evolution, SquirrelMail, KMail, Windows Mail, etc. > >I understand that at least some of those will only use the Subject as a >fallback when other threading information is not available. That's a >reasonable strategy to take. > >As for mail clients that *always* and *exclusively* use the subject line to >implement threading, they are horrifically broken. A big +1 here. Even as big as +2. >It is completely >unreasonable to insist that people using non-broken tools must change their >habits to support those with completely broken tools. > >So as far as I am concerned, if changes of subject line breaks threading for >you, so sad, too bad. Go without threading or use a better mail client. [...snip...] Besides, changing the Subject line is _supposed_ to break the threading in these contexts: such clients clearly consider the discussion topic (subject) as sufficient definition of a thread, and changing the topic should imply a new thread to such simplistic clients. Cheers, Cameron Simpson