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Date:         Wed, 8 Aug 90 22:38:59 CET
Reply-To: LaTeX-L Mailing list <LATEX-L%DHDURZ1@unido.bitnet>
From: Michael Downes <MJD@MATH.AMS.COM>
Subject:      Responses
To: Rainer Schoepf <BK4@DHDURZ1.uucp>
Status: R
X-Status: 
X-Keywords:                  
X-UID: 216

Some (rather late) comments in response to Frank's call (May 2)
for more active replies on the list.

> P.S.
> When I said in one of the last messages that I think that there
> is not enough response on this list I really meant it.
> (Yes Malcolm, there is a `don't care/never thought of it box for you
> simply make your cross below.) If we would sit on a table one could
> judge from the faces but so things are really difficult if the
> answer is only silence. Because this could mean everybody is in
> agreement but also everybody don't care.
>
>      __
>      | |  I agree (because..)
>      --
>      __
>      | |  I don't know, never thought about
>      --
>      __
>      | |  I don't care
>      --                        That's the hard one
>                                 |
>      __                         V
>      | |  I don't agree because ......
>      --
>

This may be a dumb question since I don't know much about network
mailing lists but isn't there any software somewhere to make it
easy for people to register their opinions without burdening
everyone on the list with trivial messages?  I mean, it would not
be too difficult for me to send an instant reply to most messages
saying

"No particular comment at this time"

or

"I agree with the sender's opinion"

or

"I intend to comment but since work is sort of hectic
it may not be until next week"

However it seems silly to send such mail to everyone on the list.
It seems as though it should be possible, however, to send it
to a single mail address which could then be checked by Frank
or Rainer to see what the current level of response is to a particular
piece of mail.

>   I hope everybody of you is eager to grap one of the [document]
>   classes and make a first proposal which can then be
>   discussed on this list.

Frank, perhaps you should feel free to assign pieces of work
like this to people on the list, taking into account what they have
told you about their availability and so forth.  If you give
some work to someone and they can't do it, it is easy enough for
them to say so and then you can give it to someone else.
I am reluctant to volunteer for tasks when it seems that almost anyone
else on the list could do a better job because of their greater LaTeX
experience, but that does not mean I am unwilling to help.

Michael Downes
mjd@math.ams.com