Hi tina,

On 3 Feb 2005 at 20:46, tina spoke, thus:

> hi i'm have a list q's on digest, but I've noticed that the bn doesn't let
> you reply to digest messages.  is this normal?

There are actually two modes for digests received from the list, as 
supported by Mailman: Plain and MIME.

For plain digests, the digest is simply a plain text message with a 
listing of the messages it contains and their contents.  Replying to such 
a message will probably result in a meaningless subject line and it may 
not even reach the list since it was probably also sent from the mailing 
list command processor address.  You must remember to quote properly when 
replying to such a message, or not quote at all, because you will 
otherwise duplicate the entire digest for the other list members (and this 
is not at all considerate).  It is however the only type of message you 
are likely to get the greatest and most complete satisfaction using on the 
BrailleNote, as it is not complicated and is within the BrailleNote's 
scope of capabilities.  It's generally also the easiest to read for 
purposes only of reading discussions and not involving yourself in them.

The MIME Digest uses Message/RFC822 parts in a MIME multipart message.  It 
usually reserves the first such part, or an equivalent Text/Plain part not 
part of the actual digest, for an index of the remaining parts.  From the 
perspective of the modern user, this is actually very nice because, 
assuming your mail reader has the capability, you can treat the digest 
much like a mail folder and browse it and manipulate it (with, most 
likely, certain restrictions) just as you would any normal folder.  The 
messages in the digest are exact copies of the original messages, 
encapsulated into one message.  The result is that you can usually reply 
to and forward individual messages without mishap, while still receiving 
only one physical message from the mailing list processor.  Unfortunately, 
the BrailleNote does not support digests very well; it just seems to treat 
each part in a Multipart section that is not a Text part as an attachment. 
 You can examine each part separately but you will not be thrilled with 
the complete, raw RFC822 messages, nor will you be able to benefit from 
replying or forwarding the individual parts.  You will not be able to scan 
the message very well, either, as the Subject lines or authors will not, 
most likely, show up in the attachment list (though some processors very 
kindly try to encapsulate this in one or more of the parts' attributes, 
though not usually the filename).

In summary: stick with plain digests, and when you reply to a message, 
start it yourself, add the subject line as best you can, and don't quote 
anything.  Alternatively, wait till the developer's kit comes out and I 
will then write a far superior email client. :-)

Cheers,
Sabahattin

-- 
If an email tells you to forward it to all your friends, please
temporarily forget that I am your friend.

Sabahattin Gucukoglu
Phone: +44 20 88008915
Mobile: +44 7986 053399
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