[Techtalk] Re: [prog] Threading in digest mode.

[Raquel Rice]

> On Wed, Jan 19, 2005, ||svaksha|| wrote:
> > hi all, 
> > firstly being new to Linux, i'm not sure which list i must post
> > this to exactly , so feel free t repost it elsewhere.
> > In GMail all mails are sorted as "conversations" (same subject)
> > which we call threads.
> > I noticed that in the batched Digest mode this does not happen
> > and mails are batched, sent as and when received by the server.
> > Question --Is it not possible for the same idea to be used in
> > Digest mode too ( sort mails as per subject line/thread instead
> > of time for a particular Batch and then send it ?)
> > imho, it makes reading batched mails more easier :-)

With a group of people, often times a "conversation" does not happen
in linear fashion.  A question is asked and someone answers. 
Someone else asks a totally different question and someone answers. 
I get home from work and respond to the first question, creating a
break in the linear conversation.  

When the list server creates a digest, it adds the new email to the
end of a blank file.  Each email afterwards is just appended to that
file.  I think that is the "normal" way to create a digest as it is
most efficient for the list server.  The list server accepts each
incoming email and then distributes that same email to all the
recipients, sometimes numbering in the thousands.  Oftentimes, a
list server runs many lists.  

Creating one large "digest file" and sending it "as is", with
headers and footers attached, is more efficient than sorting the
posts according to "thread", which is based upon MessageID.  Sorting
by thread would mean reading the MessageID and sorting all the
messages by that and then creating the digest, all at the time it
was supposed to be sent out.

At the current time, LinuxChix lists are using Mailman for their
list server.  (IMHO one of the very best around)  I also use Mailman
for my lists and haven't seen any ability to thread messages to a
list.

-- 
Raquel
============================================================
The ability to confront issues is really important to a successful
career, maybe even a successful life.
  --Amy Digeso