From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.io!.POSTED.blaine.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Ihor Radchenko Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Drifting away from thread topic in large email discussions (was: Choice of bug tracker) Date: Sat, 02 Sep 2023 08:33:06 +0000 Message-ID: <87edjhgekd.fsf@localhost> References: <87il9kksqz.fsf@dfreeman.email> <83ledwk4xi.fsf@gnu.org> <76ecf629-a41a-f6e4-f661-2ef926326d6c@gutov.dev> <83zg2cias7.fsf@gnu.org> <83pm37ie54.fsf@gnu.org> <831qfmhyx3.fsf@gnu.org> <87pm36kqlg.fsf@posteo.net> <87il8yuk6q.fsf@yahoo.com> <87ttsfts92.fsf@localhost> <87r0njtrdl.fsf@localhost> <87il8vtqwf.fsf@localhost> <835y4ve5sv.fsf@gnu.org> <87o7ins6r2.fsf@localhost> <78b3ce39-28da-8d07-8435-afa0ecb55ff5@gutov.dev> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain Injection-Info: ciao.gmane.io; posting-host="blaine.gmane.org:116.202.254.214"; logging-data="12474"; mail-complaints-to="usenet@ciao.gmane.io" Cc: Dmitry Gutov , brickviking@gmail.com, emacs-devel@gnu.org To: rms@gnu.org Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane-mx.org@gnu.org Sat Sep 02 10:33:06 2023 Return-path: Envelope-to: ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane-mx.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([209.51.188.17]) by ciao.gmane.io with esmtps (TLS1.2:ECDHE_RSA_AES_256_GCM_SHA384:256) (Exim 4.92) (envelope-from ) id 1qcM41-00030N-Jv for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane-mx.org; Sat, 02 Sep 2023 10:33:05 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([::1] helo=lists1p.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.90_1) (envelope-from ) id 1qcM3X-00063M-Jc; Sat, 02 Sep 2023 04:32:35 -0400 Original-Received: from eggs.gnu.org ([2001:470:142:3::10]) by lists.gnu.org with esmtps (TLS1.2:ECDHE_RSA_AES_256_GCM_SHA384:256) (Exim 4.90_1) (envelope-from ) id 1qcM3V-0005oy-E6 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 02 Sep 2023 04:32:33 -0400 Original-Received: from mout02.posteo.de ([185.67.36.66]) by eggs.gnu.org with esmtps (TLS1.2:ECDHE_RSA_AES_256_GCM_SHA384:256) (Exim 4.90_1) (envelope-from ) id 1qcM3R-0008Cq-0B for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 02 Sep 2023 04:32:33 -0400 Original-Received: from submission (posteo.de [185.67.36.169]) by mout02.posteo.de (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 0256B240103 for ; Sat, 2 Sep 2023 10:32:25 +0200 (CEST) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/simple; d=posteo.net; s=2017; t=1693643546; bh=UOcjCYYXzcj7lx2GITTGOoPhb6yirfzSUz8UZRLMa08=; h=From:To:Cc:Subject:Date:Message-ID:MIME-Version:From; b=ANtisneV33JgrxYZxOfxWkugD6r/tAfj4SuyjqEuxGBsJtnQKkqjSuyzCNkfJOmhw ql2dzPpvvzz6AoxIumWZbf3ojinJYls5fyDTgVq6eIDTJ4g8HVdpT3p1T5Bx0PxW5b K7z9haZWtWDXMuIGmOzIYN99iVd2kECX/Svs4A0ZXspAMypx9AtqsfLVuAtbpjMdad nPG4MS6bKXLQir6fajHZMRl6JvDgXA9rUOqa9YENobWqIldH3Uj67+nQVcMH322BG/ eTJ0owUmos4SNO8XPK9BGrdhUNDD28peW6MDChxLealI2ZGCXQIoNF2CQAbAZRECnz QtQBWYyTFiuxQ== Original-Received: from customer (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by submission (posteo.de) with ESMTPSA id 4Rd7S91W8Nz6twG; Sat, 2 Sep 2023 10:32:25 +0200 (CEST) In-Reply-To: Received-SPF: pass client-ip=185.67.36.66; envelope-from=yantar92@posteo.net; helo=mout02.posteo.de X-Spam_score_int: -43 X-Spam_score: -4.4 X-Spam_bar: ---- X-Spam_report: (-4.4 / 5.0 requ) BAYES_00=-1.9, DKIM_SIGNED=0.1, DKIM_VALID=-0.1, DKIM_VALID_AU=-0.1, DKIM_VALID_EF=-0.1, RCVD_IN_DNSWL_MED=-2.3, RCVD_IN_MSPIKE_H5=0.001, RCVD_IN_MSPIKE_WL=0.001, SPF_HELO_NONE=0.001, SPF_PASS=-0.001 autolearn=unavailable autolearn_force=no X-Spam_action: no action X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.29 Precedence: list List-Id: "Emacs development discussions." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane-mx.org@gnu.org Original-Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane-mx.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.io gmane.emacs.devel:309860 Archived-At: Richard Stallman writes: > > > We are more disciplined these days, but I have seen many old, > > > sprawling bug threads with dozens upon dozens of replies, more than > > > half of which are about something else entirely. > > This is a serious but perhaps difficult question. > What is it that leads people to post about other topics > in a thread that is meant to be about a very specific topic? > > I'm hoping for specific answers, not vague ones like "getting > distracted" or "carried away by a thought." Those do happen, but I > would expect them to happen regardless of what interface is in use. I can tell for myself, because I am guilty doing off-topic comments from time to time. I can recall three reasons: 1. When replying to email, I sometimes want to comment or ask something not directly on topic, but related to one of the points raised in a message I am replying to. I think about such questions when I am already writing the reply, and in the process of editing the quoted message I am replying to: > quote 1 My on-topic answer. > quote 2 Another on-topic answer. > quote 3 By the way, what about > quote 4 On topic again. I sometimes try to watch myself and reply with several messages, changing the email subject appropriately. But I only managed to remember doing this a handful of times only. 2. Sometimes, the situation is even more subtle: > quote X _almost_ on-topic answer then, the reply to my reply will be >> quote X > _almost_ on-topic anser an answer drifting slightly further away 3. On some cases, somebody clearly replies off-topic, but that off-topic still seems interesting to continue. Then, multiple answers sprawl, with some inevitably not changing the subject: Reply 1: > off-topic quote Off-topic reply Reply 2: > off-topic quote Off-topic reply 2 Then, doing my own reply with My reply: feels pointless, because part of the new topic discussion will inevitably remain under the parent subject thread. -- Ihor Radchenko // yantar92, Org mode contributor, Learn more about Org mode at . Support Org development at , or support my work at