Keycodes: Just a thought

Keycodes: Just a thought

[Morgan Palaeo Associates]

Just thinking - would it be useful to implement a keycode system on comp.lang.ada?
On some other newsgroups, a keycode system is used so that people can quickly
identify those posts which are of interest to them.  They consist of a letter code
placed at the beginning of the "Subject" line.

comp.lang.ada could possibly benefit from the following keycodes:

  [Q]uestion or answer
  [A]nnouncement (or comment on an announcement)
  [D]ebate
  [O]fftopic
  [M]iscellaneous

Where the distinction between keycodes is not clear for a particular post, the
decision is that of the poster.  This post would then be: [M] Keycodes.

I realise that comp.lang.ada recieves a large volume of cross-group mail, and it
is probably impractical to create a keycode system that works for all comp.lang
groups, so it certainly doesn't make sense to *enforce* a keycode system.

However, I am imagining that a keycode system in the sense of an optional tool
would be useful, even if it is far from universally used.  I am sure my own
reading of CLA would benefit from such a system.

-- Adrian Morgan

Re: Keycodes: Just a thought

[Robert Munck]

On Thu, 24 Jul 97 15:11:46 GMT, morganpalaeo@peg.apc.org (Morgan
Palaeo Associates) wrote:

>Just thinking - would it be useful to implement a keycode system on comp.lang.ada?
> ...
>  [Q]uestion or answer
>  [A]nnouncement (or comment on an announcement)
>  [D]ebate
>  [O]fftopic
>  [M]iscellaneous

Nah, you've just reinvented subgroups in another form.  If we
needed it, it should be comp.lang.ada.Q, comp.lang.ada.announce,
etc.  I would probably use somewhat different groups, but I don't
think we need them at all.  This is a relatively low-traffic newsgroup
(take a look at comp.infosystems.www.authoring.html sometime),
and I have no trouble handling it without subcategories.

Bob Munck
Mill Creek Systems LC

Re: Keycodes: Just a thought

[Peter Hermann]

Robert Munck (munck@mindspring.com) wrote:
> etc.  I would probably use somewhat different groups, but I don't
> think we need them at all.  This is a relatively low-traffic newsgroup

agreed.
both solutions generate superfluous friction.
with growing experience in reading newsgroups
one learns to drop the fast way.

--
Peter Hermann  Tel:+49-711-685-3611 Fax:3758 ph@csv.ica.uni-stuttgart.de
Pfaffenwaldring 27, 70569 Stuttgart Uni Computeranwendungen
Team Ada: "C'mon people let the world begin" (Paul McCartney)