Nice post, Barry. Thanks for going into every aspect so carefully and exhaustively. This is the definitive response to the issue.
-- Paul Berkowitz > From: Barry Wainwright <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Reply-To: "Entourage:mac Talk" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Date: Wed, 17 Jul 2002 20:37:16 +0100 > To: "Entourage:mac Talk" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: Re: Need help w Calendar prefs for Entourage 2001 > > On 17/7/02 5:35 am, "Helen Glazer" wrote: > >> On 7/15/02 6:42 PM, "Entourage:mac Talk" >> <Barry Wainwright <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> >>> 'Most people' don't freak when an email you send is added to their mail >>> database - how else could you read it? >>> >>> When the calendar invitation arrives YOU have the choice whether or not to >>> accept or decline it. If YOU want to, you can have entourage add the event >>> to the calendar tentatively before you respond to the email OR you can set >>> it up so this doesn't happen. >>> >>> What is wrong with this folks? It is all in the control of the user - that's >>> YOU. >>> >>> I really can't get my head round all the complaints. What is it people are >>> objecting to? > > First, thank you for a polite and rational response to the request. It is > like a breath of fresh air to receive a message to this thread that > discusses facts, rather than indulges in rhetoric and insult. I will attempt > to respond in like manner :) > >> >> Okay, since you asked -- first of all, I was very unnerved when the chime >> went off and the task suddenly appeared on my screen. I was sure I had some >> kind of computer virus. I did not appreciate that at all. Maybe Entourage >> X makes sure you can decline or accept. Entourage 2001, I can tell you, >> does not, if the message sits in your preview pane. The invitation goes >> right to your calendar without asking your permission. > > Yes, most of the discussion has revolved around vX functionality. > Unfortunately, most people fail to mention which version they are using, > which can make it difficult (especially in a long thread like this, with > many correspondents) to keep the context relevant. > > I can understand that receiving an unexpected reminder can be a little > unnerving first time around. However, the initial panic would, I think, be > soon assuaged by a little research into what happened. > > In v2001, the event looks a little different to the improved version in X. > You are right that there is no option to accept/decline the event in the > preview pane, but what does appear is a yellow banner to the message (in > both it's own window and in the preview pane) which states "You have not > responded to this invitation", together with the bright blue link to 'Please > open & respond'. Here, there are the three buttons to accept, decline and > tentatively accept. > > So, it is a little different in 2001, but the functionality is similar, up > to this point. > >> >> Second of all, I'm using Entourage 2001, not Entourage X, and I have looked >> everywhere for the "Calendar Preferences" that will let me choose whether to >> "tentatively accept or decline" invitations, and I cannot find it. Can >> anyone point me in the right direction? It's not in the Calendar tab under >> Preferences, nor is it in the Notification tab. I'm one of those who reads >> e-mail in the preview pane. After one of you pointed it out, I did notice >> the odd icon beside Harry's test message. I don't normally attend to those >> icons, simply because I don't use them. > > You are right, there is no preference to turn it off in v2001. This is one > of the many improvements that was brought in in vX. Unfortunately, > development of 2001 is at an end. Whilst there may be updates to fix any > serious security flaws that are uncovered, I doubt very much that there is > any way to exploit this adding of calendar events to evil purposes, so I > don't expect it to be changed. > >> >> Third of all, I had to laugh at the guy with a lofty attitude who said that >> we should "read the instructions." If only we actually RECEIVED a printed >> set of instructions, or even a PDF manual. > > A point I made in one of my earlier emails on this thread - I strongly > believe that the lack of understanding of this functionality is partly due > to the lack of a manual that people can skim/read at their leisure. The > feature is well documented in the on-line help, but I wouldn't seriously > expect anyone to try and read through that! > >> I bought Gene Steinberg's >> "Office 2001 for Mac: The Complete Reference," which is at times useful, but >> despite it's name, hardly complete -- I've had lots of questions I couldn't >> find answers to there. I'm sure I'm not the only one here who is not a >> completist when it comes to learning software -- I figure out what I need in >> order to get our job done, and if I don't use the calendar -- and I don't, >> not at all so I know next to nothing about it -- and I don't need to send >> invitations to people, I don't laboriously plow through the documentation. > > And therein lies the crux of the problem. This thread has highlighted the > point that the vast majority of users use Entourage primarily for it's email > functions, and only lightly use the other options available. This is no > condemnation, it is a fact that some programmes we use extensively, but > there are very few programmes that anyone uses to their full extent. > >> If that means I'm not on your "higher plane," sorry, I've got work to do. > > Ouch! I never claimed to be on a 'higher plane' - that was an insult thrown > out by someone else (and not, incidentally, directed at me!). I freely admit > that I consider myself to be a 'power user', and probably make use of and > understand more of the programme than the average user, but when I offer > advise, I do try to do so from the viewpoint of the average user. I have not > denigrated any user (certainly not intentionally) for not knowing something > I know about the programme. > > >> Also I resent receiving unsolicited invitations from strangers. I don't >> like them when they come from telemarketers, spammers, pop-up ads, or people >> placing "reminders" on my computer that I did NOT have a chance to decline >> or accept, but not even from people taking up my time by forcing me to stop, >> look at it and decline or accept. > > I detest all forms of spam with a vengeance. I am on the receiving end of > several hundred spam emails a week, and take some extreme measures to > insulate myself from it's effects. However, I would not willingly forsake > the invitation scheme within Entourage, since I do understand and use it > frequently. > > If this episode has done anything, I hope that it has helped people to > understand the feature, so they will not be so surprised and concerned next > time they receive an invitation, but will know what it is and how to handle > it. > > The only thing I would contend in the statement above it the bit where you > say "placing "reminders" on my computer that I did NOT have a chance to > decline..." - I have to contend that you DID have a chance to decline, but > did not understand the implications of the message you received. Hopefully, > that circumstance will not now recur. > >> >> I'm with Harry on this one, I think it's offensive for someone to send this >> invitation to an entire mailing list. > > On this point, I'm with you 200% - and implicitly with Harry as well (if > that was his main point!). Invitations such as these are intended to be sent > to individuals, not broadcast via a mailing list to thousands of people. I > can forgive the first person to make that error, again because of their > ignorance of the feature and the way it worked. I am not so forgiving of > Harry himself who, after complaining loud and long about the feature on this > list, knowingly and deliberately spammed the list again with another > invitation. > > This post is likely to be my last on the subject, unless anyone is asking > for serious, factual advise about the invitation feature. I sincerely hope > that it has been thoroughly discussed and that many more people now > understand the feature and will not be so alarmed the next time they receive > an invitation, but I sincerely hope the invitation will NOT be sent through > this list! > > Thanks for listening. > > -- > Barry Wainwright > <http://www.barryw.net> > > > Age is a very high price to pay for maturity. > > > > -- > To unsubscribe: > <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > archives: > <http://www.mail-archive.com/entourage-talk%40lists.letterrip.com/> > old-archive: > <http://www.mail-archive.com/entourage-talk%40lists.boingo.com/> > -- To unsubscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> archives: <http://www.mail-archive.com/entourage-talk%40lists.letterrip.com/> old-archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/entourage-talk%40lists.boingo.com/>
