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From: ccdn@levels.sait.edu.au (DAVID NEWALL)
Newsgroups: comp.mail.elm
Subject: Re: Signature functionality change
Message-ID: <281@levels.sait.edu.au>
Date: 30 May 89 10:56:36 GMT
References: <204@grc.UUCP> <9388@b-tech.ann-arbor.mi.us>
Organization: Sth Australian Inst of Technology
Lines: 42

In article <9388@b-tech.ann-arbor.mi.us>, zeeff@b-tech.ann-arbor.mi.us (Jon Zeeff) writes:
> In article <204@grc.UUCP> don@grc.UUCP (Donald D. Woelz) writes:
>
> About .signature file change.
>
>>I consider this to be a major return to the dark ages.  I sometimes
>>edit my signature for various reasons.  I can no longer do that
>>on a mesage by message basis.
>
> Sure you can.  Just go into the editor and read in your signature
> manually if you want to change it.

Oh Please!  That's hardly a reasonable solution, is it?


> The change was necessary for three reasons ... and 2) you *can't*
> determine what signature to use until the message is complete

Sometimes it's very easy to loose track of one's objectives.  I think
this is an example of where the development group (who by and large
have done, and are still doing, a fine job) have let the ends run
away with them.

Certainly it's nice to have different local and remote signatures.  But
I don't consider it a crime if elm occasionally chooses the wrong one.
Especially since elm does, or at least it used to, include the signature
in the edit buffer.  At least I knew what I was getting.  And I could
change it if it was wrong.  Now I have to hope that elm is going to get
it right.  And to be honest, I don't have that much faith in a computer.
I'd like to be sure of what I'm getting.

From the large volume of postings on this subject, I'd say that a lot
of elm users prefer the signature to be loaded into the edit buffer.  I
count myself among them.  So, please, elm developers, give us back our
signatures.  (Remember: user convenience is more important than strict
program correctness).


David Newall                     Phone:  +61 8 343 3160
Unix Systems Programmer          Fax:    +61 8 349 6939
Academic Computing Service       E-mail: ccdn@levels.sait.oz.au
SA Institute of Technology       Post:   The Levels, South Australia, 5095