Errors-to: owner-drums@CS.UTK.EDU
To: Alan Barrett <barrett@iafrica.com>
Cc: drums@CS.UTK.EDU
Reply-To: drums@CS.UTK.EDU
Subject: Re: From the Chair: the Reply-To issue 
In-Reply-To: Your message of "Mon, 28 Aug 1995 12:21:08 +0200."
             <Pine.NEB.3.91.950828120542.6087C-100000@daisy.ee.und.ac.za> 
Date: Mon, 28 Aug 1995 23:12:46 +1000
Message-Id: <13516.809615566@munnari.OZ.AU>
From: Robert Elz <kre@munnari.oz.au>

    Date:        Mon, 28 Aug 1995 12:21:08 +0200 (GMT+0200)
    From:        Alan Barrett <barrett@iafrica.com>
    Message-ID:  <Pine.NEB.3.91.950828120542.6087C-100000@daisy.ee.und.ac.za>

Quoting someone else (probably Roger Fajman)...

    > It's the sender of the reply who knows best where it should go.

Actually, this is often simply not true - I should have mentioned
this when the message Alan is quoting there appeared.   I get
very many messages with all kinds of people I have never heard
of listed in To and Cc headers.   I often have no idea at all
why they received the message I was sent, and even less idea
whether or not they have, or might have, the slightest interest
in any reply I might send.   I tend to randomly either reply to
one of the author only, author & to line only, or everyone.
Some guidance from the author of the message I am replying to,
who must have known why they listed all those people, as to
whom my reply can usefully be sent would often be very much
appreciated.

None of that means that I am not ultimately in control of the
destination address list of any reply I send of course, just
that I foten simply dont know best at all.

    No, stick with "author" instead of "sender" throughout.

And yes, that I think I agree with, avoid confusing the
"Sender" header with any of these discussions.

kre