[Tickets #7783] Interface misleads users into losing messages

[bugs at horde.org]

DO NOT REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE. THIS EMAIL ADDRESS IS NOT MONITORED.

Ticket URL: http://bugs.horde.org/ticket/7783
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Ticket             | 7783
  Created By         | agullo at ati.es
  Summary            | Interface misleads users into losing messages
  Queue              | IMP
  Version            | 4.3.2
  Type               | Bug
  State              | Unconfirmed
  Priority           | 2. Medium
  Milestone          |
  Patch              |
  Owners             |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------


agullo at ati.es (2008-12-16 07:52) wrote:

Hi, I reported earlier today about how the 'Reply' option misleads  
users into addressing their list messages to the wrong address, which  
results in the mail list missing messages without anyone noticing.
My report, numbered 7782, was answered in a quickly way which I do  
appreciate.  I've been told the usability bug I reported of is  
actually a deliberate choice related to some ancient discussion about  
"Reply-To" munging which I just think is way off its time.  But then,  
IMP is Open Source, and released under a license that allows me to use  
it for free, and I should be just happy about people making it.  So  
all right, I can accept IMP has got to have different options, one for  
replying to the sender and another to replying to the mail list.
Still, messages are getting lost, and that is a fault I cannot  
oversee.  The 'Blame the people for not learning to do things our way'  
approach I think is out of any serious usability conception.
Usability is about to make things work the way people expects them to.  
  We are in 2008, and today when people clicks on a 'Reply' option  
expects to send the reply *to the same place it came from*, and that  
includes mail lists.
So, all right, keep the separated options for replying to the sender  
and to the mail list.  But then, I you do so, if you're smart enough  
to detect the messages that need a 'Reply to list' option, then don't  
allow the option for replying to the sender to be named 'Reply'.  This  
is only misleading - you're fooling people into getting their messages  
lost.  Rename that option into 'Reply to sender', and that will be  
just fine.

Thank you for your attention.