> I have questions about the way that index listings of postings is displayed in Mailman for all sorted listing ...sorted by Date,Subject/Thread or Author. This is not about search tools, only the sorted lists offered for browsing.
>
> 1. Why is date not shown for all sorted posting lists in Mailman ?
> (Why is date not shown for ANY sorted posting lists )
>
> 1a Why is date not provided/shown for a list by DATE sorting?
> Now WHY would I want an index sorted by DATE that scrolls over more than a screenfull WITHOUT having the Date provided on each entry.
> How many clicks do I want to execute to find the "sweet spot" in a long list that approximates April 15,2002 ...Mailman archiving forces the opening of multiple irrelevant postings just to find an approximate date to begin browsing for old content.
> It is unthinkable to me to provide a SORTED list without the content of the SORT FIELD being displayed ...if you don't believe me try the same for a subject sort or an author sort. I really don't do games on computers ....except at a Mailman Date archive, where I can play hit the "pinnata" with multiple blind mouse clicks.
>
> 1b Why is date not shown for a listing by Thread/Subject?
> Let me propose that the date of a message is also important to evaluating its significance. For threads that are familiar (whether followed or particpating poster) I retain a rough chronology of the conversation. Also,when I visit a new thread, I know that sometimes an important post is an OUTLIER .... separated in time from the starting post. Outliers often provide thoughtful informative followup (on an active list an outlier may be hours old compared to minutes old). I don't claim that outliers are always significant, but the TIME SEQUENCE of a SUBJECT THREAD gives important clues to the conversation. Also it is important to revisiting a thread which is well remembered, because the basic FLOW of CONVERSATION may also be recalled on a revisit. Date is an important clue in a sorted listing by subject.
>
> 1c Why is date not shown for listing by Author ?
>
> Do lists have dominant Authors posting important stuff? Yes.
> The way I remember an old post is this:
> "That important security issue, that I can't remember the name of (and which probably doesn't have "security" as a search term)"
> Posted by "Guru Joe" (who knows alot about security on this list)
> Posted in "January or February of 2002"
> Naturally I would like to browse the Author listing of Guru Joe and find the region around Jan Feb 2002 ....not much fun in a Mailman archive ...unless you enjoy !
>
> Interestingly solving 1a,1b,1c does not require any new algorithm, ...just piping the existing data into the display ... the existing spacing of sorted list display has available whitespace.
> (Now at the end of my sermon, please tell me it was a wasted appeal, and that there is already an overlooked toggle setting to display date somewhere in the admin interface)
>
> This link to a long thread on "Future of Pipermail" is old
> http://mail.python.org/pipermail/mailman-developers/2000-November/007823.html
> This is a clue to me that the future is NOW and the archiver is languishing from developer interest ...to any developer on this user list,please post this DATE issue into the developer-list.
>
> I hope my pitch for DATE DISPLAY is well received by developers who follow this userlist and provocative enough to earn a short thread and priority in the next version.
> Thanks
>
> Tyrus Maynard
>
In the hopes that this proposal for a simple change in the display of the pipermail archive will be perceived as a contribution to the mailman cause and receive further comment on this thread I am placing copy ABOVE extra comment.
Some may wish to categorize my lengthy post with a reference to some historical past pipermail discussion on the developer list as an accident, but there it is, free, and reasoned by one user.
If anyone wishes to wait for me to offer code, then one would not really be interested in correcting deficiency that I have described any time in the near future even for a simple fix. (If I am not qualified to add the code for even this simple fix should I still post to the developer-list?).
My understanding of the role of this user-list is to develop dialogue that identifies mandates for those that do develop code. I have placed my initial content at the top of this post hoping that it will receive attention and comments on its merits.
Is this a suggestion worthy of Mailman? Please add your view on the merits along with additional pointed critique. Maybe there are reasons to leave Mailman the way it is in this simple matter of display of date.
Tyrus Maynard
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