Header column question

[MikeR]

What is the purpose/utility of the "Thread" column in the header pane? It seems
redundant to me.

[WLS]

On 02/24/2012 08:57 AM, MikeR wrote:
> What is the purpose/utility of the "Thread" column in the header pane?
> It seems redundant to me.

You mean the Thread pane? Then sort Unthreaded.
--
Thunderbird Daily | openSUSE 11.4 Linux
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[Mike Easter]

MikeR wrote:
> What is the purpose/utility of the "Thread" column in the header pane?
> It seems redundant to me.

The pane names are folder, thread, and message; and the message pane is
composed of subparts such as the header pane. You are referring to a
column in the thread pane.

I like to 'approach' a group's unread messages in an unthreaded view
sorted by date with the newest at the top.

Then I may 'flip' my view into sorted by subject primarily and
secondarily by the date with the newest in that subject group at the
bottom so that I can read the messages with the same subject
chronologically.

Or I may flip my view into threaded instead. The icon in the thread
column can be used to flip in and out of the threaded view. Naturally
that can also be done with the View/ Sort by/ threaded function, but
that is a lot of eye and mouse navigation.

Threaded and by subject chronologically are similar, but long threads
have trees based on the reference line information, whereas if the
subject is unchanged, the subject by date is purely chronological, which
I prefer over the tree.

--
Mike Easter

[MikeR]

On 2/24/2012 9:09 AM, WLS wrote:
> On 02/24/2012 08:57 AM, MikeR wrote:
>> What is the purpose/utility of the "Thread" column in the header pane?
>> It seems redundant to me.
>
> You mean the Thread pane? Then sort Unthreaded.

Yes, thread pane. Sort isn't an issue. I am just curious why there would be 2 columns
indicating thread status, ie the sort of "staircase" symbol, and the + - box.

[MikeR]

On 2/24/2012 9:59 AM, Mike Easter wrote:
> MikeR wrote:
>> What is the purpose/utility of the "Thread" column in the header pane?
>> It seems redundant to me.
>
> The pane names are folder, thread, and message; and the message pane is composed of
> subparts such as the header pane. You are referring to a column in the thread pane.

Yep.

>
> I like to 'approach' a group's unread messages in an unthreaded view sorted by date
> with the newest at the top.
>
> Then I may 'flip' my view into sorted by subject primarily and secondarily by the
> date with the newest in that subject group at the bottom so that I can read the
> messages with the same subject chronologically.
>
> Or I may flip my view into threaded instead. The icon in the thread column can be
> used to flip in and out of the threaded view. Naturally that can also be done with
> the View/ Sort by/ threaded function, but that is a lot of eye and mouse navigation.
>

Ahhhh.

> Threaded and by subject chronologically are similar, but long threads have trees
> based on the reference line information, whereas if the subject is unchanged, the
> subject by date is purely chronological, which I prefer over the tree.
>

Thanks, Mike.

[Ron K.]

MikeR on 2/24/2012 3:34 PM, keyboarded a reply:

Those two are not redundant. The Thread Col is a sort order control,
Ascending/Descending. The "Treelines" are actually a part of the Subject
Col, and are hideable, but hiding then results in white space.

--
Ron K.
Who is General Failure, and why is he searching my HDD?
Kernel Restore reported Major Error used BSOD to msg the enemy!

[Axel Grude]

On 24/02/12 13:57, MikeR wrote:
> What is the purpose/utility of the "Thread" column in the header pane? It seems
> redundant to me.

To me the thread icons are important mainly because they make it very easy to grab and
drag a whole thread with the mouse (to move it to a different folder). Also I
personally prefer real threaded view with sort by date ascending, so I can read my
mail in the natural order (from top to bottom). Threaded view will make sure you do
not jump between different conversation when you read your emails in chronological order.

I have tried (so far unsuccessfully) to setup my Outlook 2007 client at work the same
way but it is always a very pale shadow of the fluent experience that the Mozilla mail
clients provided.

E.g. (when grouping by conversation) Outlook will add extra white space, by default it
will collapse threads and not even show their contents unless you expand them manually
and click on the first email: cumbersome. Combine that with the fact that outlook does
not even give you a button or shortcut for jumping to the next unread mail (in
Thunderbird: N) and you got a truly user-unfriendly mail client.

So the threaded view (to me) epitomizes everything what is good about a lean mail
interface, and so since Netscape 4.0. The memories!

Hope they don't change it.

Ax

[MikeR]

On 2/24/2012 5:12 PM, Ron K. wrote:
> MikeR on 2/24/2012 3:34 PM, keyboarded a reply:
>> On 2/24/2012 9:09 AM, WLS wrote:
>>> On 02/24/2012 08:57 AM, MikeR wrote:
>>>> What is the purpose/utility of the "Thread" column in the header pane?
>>>> It seems redundant to me.
>>>
>>> You mean the Thread pane? Then sort Unthreaded.
>>
>> Yes, thread pane. Sort isn't an issue. I am just curious why there would
>> be 2 columns indicating thread status, ie the sort of "staircase" symbol,
>> and the + - box.
>
> Those two are not redundant. The Thread Col is a sort order control,
> Ascending/Descending. The "Treelines" are actually a part of the Subject Col, and are
> hideable, but hiding then results in white space.
>

Got it. Thanx.

[MikeR]

Thanks, Ax.

Finagles law of perpetuity postulates that if you like it, it will change.

[Chris Luck]

On 24/02/12 13:57, MikeR wrote:

> What is the purpose/utility of the "Thread" column in the header
> pane? It seems redundant to me.

I addition to the other replies...

If you made use of the 'Ignore Thread' capability ('K' key) you might
also wish to Un-Ignore them. The only indicator of an ignored thread is
that the standard thread symbol changes to a red circle with bar.
You can show all ignored threads via 'View->Threads->Ignored Threads'
but they are interspersed amongst the un-ignored, without the thread
column you couldn't readily distinguish 'Ignored' from the rest.

I haven't used the 'K' key since local 'delete' of news messages became
available.

--
Regards,
Chris Luck

[MikeR]

Don't use it, but thanks for the info.