Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!umich!samsung!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!psuvax1!psuvm!DMSWWU1A!URZ02 From: URZ02@DMSWWU1A.BITNET (Dr. Klaus-Bolko Mertz) Newsgroups: bit.listserv.mailbook Subject: Re: BSMTP header Message-ID: Date: 6 Feb 90 15:19:05 GMT Sender: MAIL/MAILBOOK subscription list Reply-To: MAIL/MAILBOOK subscription list Lines: 29 Approved: NETNEWS@PSUVM Gateway X-Acknowledge-To: In-Reply-To: Message of Fri, 2 Feb 90 12:34:41 LCL from On Fri, 2 Feb 90 12:34:41 LCL Michael Wagner said: > >Typing over the header is the most obvious way for someone to change >something if they don't know much about the package (as is the case >for most new users). Why not gently steer them back into acceptable >usage by accepting the most obvious input? > >Now, granted, the typed-over input may be invalid, but the logic to >determine that is already built-in to include/exclude. So if >include/exclude fails, the type-over logic could re-instate the old >header element. > >In fact, the command orientation of the header, combined with the >full-screen orientation of the body, has always seemed odd to me. It >seems to me a worthy goal to make all the full-screen editing work in >the header as well, for those who even understand RFC822 headers. If >you delete the last line in a header element, the comma on the >previous line should disappear, and the header element should be >re-checked for correct syntax. If you delete a must-exist element, a >warning should occur, and you should be given the option of >re-instating the essential element. And so on. If one set of commands >(add line, delete line, etc) worked for both halves, there would be a >smaller learning curve. That's my feeling too, and so I hesitated for a while to switch to 89.02.0B as our all-user's MAIL. But due to other benefits I'll do it soon. KBM