basic - continued

[Colin Law]

On 11 February 2010 19:47, Rafiq Hajat <ipi.malawi at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Yet another thread..
>>>
>>> And anyone using gmail *please* show Rafiq how to configure his gmail
>>> client to respond to the original threads so that he doen't keep
>>> spawning a new thread each time he replies to something?
>>
>> Rafiq, please use your Gmail account with thunderbird 3. :-D
>>
>> I don't understand this...I usually copy the same subject matter so as
>> not to start new threads - I'm using Evolution and it works fine for
> me.
>> Am I missing some esoteric setting here?
>
> Threading is not done by Subject line - it's usually done by  a
> References: line in the header of the post. GMail gets this totally
> wrong and uses the Subject, which is dire, frankly.
>
> For example,
> References:
> <1265653043.7275.5.camel at aitch-laptop>      <4B70B9C8.3000507 at bradbury.edu.hk>
>        <01693fec70c4c48a0171e184b4424f0c.squirrel at amedee.be>
>
>
> Each time you start a new mail, even if you copy the Subject line into
> that message, you're starting a new thread. Gmail will thread it on
> subject, so it looks fine to you but for the rest of us, it's a brand
> new thread.
>
> Thus, if we look at the message from you, there is no References: line
> in the headers so all real email clients decide it's a new thread as
> it refers to nothing else. Ergo, new thread.
>
> Ahhh....I see (said the blind man). So is there a setting that I can
> change on gmail/evolution, or do I have to download another (real) email
> client?
>

The most important thing is always to click the Reply button when
continuing an existing thread with gmail, but when starting a new
thread to start a new message and not to just change the subject on an
old one.

Colin