regarding the reply address on the list....

NOBODY had any serious difficulty using the old system. SOME people have some difficulty with the new system. SOME people find the old system to be more convenient. SOME people find the new system to be more convenient. But that is NOT due to any intrinsic advantage, it is due to being a better fit with THEIR mail programs. Over the years, I have gotten a LOT of flack for using "obsolete" computers. Even on this list! Over the years, I have gotten a LOT of flack for using "obsolete" software. Even on this list! Now, the folk who only use NEW programs have instituted a change that provides a trivially greater level of conveneince for them, at the cost of a mild level of inconvenience for those of us using OLD systems. On MOST lists, the answer is obvious: dump those who use OLD stuff. Is that the answer here, also? I will put up with the inconvenience because of the great people and discussions here. Even those of you who are COMPLETELY WRONG on this issue :-) For SEVERAL reasons, my access here is through telnet and PINE on the ISP. That doesn't give me much opportunity to rewrite, debug, or alter features or characteristics of the mail program. I'm stuck with whatever version of PINE the ISP is currently using. I have a completely separate set of access for web browsing. Some people say, "I'm on thousands of mailing lists, and they ALL use the OLD way." Some people say, "I'm on thousands of mailing lists, and they ALL use the NEW way." There must be a LOT of mailing lists to have so little overlap :-) One of the issues is consequence of error. Under OLD system, occasionally a message that was intended to be private went public. Under the NEW system, a large number of messages that were intended to be public will go private, and MANY (maybe MOST) messages will have DUPLICATES. Each person has their own opinion of the cost/benefit analysis of THAT issue. But none of that is the real problem. There simply needs to be a simple and easy choice between REPLY TO AUTHOR v REPLY TO LIST. On old PINE, that is what you have (a Y/N for using REPLY TO: v FROM:). On the NEW software, instead, the choices appear to be REPLY TO AUTHOR v REPLY TO BOTH AUTHOR AND LIST. Perhaps some rethinking is needed in the "NEW" mail programs?????? I, too, HATE html-mail! But the version of PINE that I'm using on THIS ISP handles it well! (Although in the same "upgrade", they completely and totally BROKE LYNX :-( ) But I want to thank MOST folk for becoming conscious of the fact that NOT every mail program is internally linked to a browser. THANK YOU for providing a one sentence explanation of any URLs that you post (rather than the old "Check out: http://www.obscure.nul") -- Grumpy Ol' Fred cisin(a)xenosoft.com