[seqfan] marking and mail filtering

[Olivier GERARD]

Dear Antti and all,

The initial rule when seqfan started was indeed to add
[seqfan] at the start of the mail subject. At the time
the rule was not enforceable by the version of the mailer
used, so it was a matter of user discipline.
The part of the list configuration to do this is not
under my control but under my University sysop's.
Besides, it has some disadvantages, such as management
of Reply, elimination of redundant [seqfan], etc. 
clutering the subject line.

For filtering purposes, the mailing list software adds
several X-Fields that can be used to select, move, highlight
give a high score in your favorite mail program or mail filtering
utility.
Most popular mail programs are able to filter on specific
fields besides To, Subject and From.
A few things to know:
	- the original poster is in the From: field
	- the original to: and cc: fields are conserved by sympa
It means that you should not try to filter on the sender but
instead on the merge of direct and copied adresses to see if
there is seqfan at ext.jussieu.fr
Also
	- the X-From_: contains seqfan-owner at ext.jussieu.fr
	- the List-Id: contains seqfan at ext.jussieu.fr

The last method is the one I recommend. I engage members to
prefix [seqfan] (please in lowercase) to their subject lines
when they post, but I don't feel it is that important.

My University Computer Services Dpt may change its policy in
the future and decide that all mailing list issued by the campus
should have other distinctive marks.  I will tell you if it happens.

I think there are two things really more important to appreciate
about the seqfan mailing list:
	1- no external spam has been received in the list since its birth
(this is due to a strict and sometimes annoying sender address matching)
	2- there is no commercial sigs, flame wars and the like.

This means: you can safely filter seqfan in a "message to read" part
of your mail systems or boxes before applying local spam filtering.

The main point I would like members to check when they write is not
to quote irrelevant parts of previous messages when they reply:
by definition, every one had the previous mail and can refer to it
if you quote to sparringly.

regards,

Olivier

PS: Antti: you don't need to CC: me when you send to seqfan. I do
receive the mail.