I need help understanding this flossmanual English, please. . .
In http://en.flossmanuals.net/thunderbird/composing-messages/ , under "Signature Delimiter", the following text appears:
"Signature Delimiter
"When placing a signature in a text based email, a default "-- " (dash, dash, space) is inserted to separate text. To switch it off for all identities of your accounts, you can access your Configuration Console and change mail.identity.default.suppress_signature_separator to "true"."
It then states:
"It's important to note that removing the signature makes it a part of the message you compose. "
What does this mean? Is it referring to removing the signature separator? Or is it a completely new topic -- ie, referring to removing a signature? And if it means removing a signature, how is a removed signature "part of the message"??
The article then states:
"When replying to messages where the signature is placed below your reply, but above the quote, signatures won't be removed if you choose to change identities."
This seems (to me) to suddenly introduce even more new issues.
I deeply appreciate that the flossmanual was the result of dedicated, hard work on the part of intelligent volunteers -- I just sometimes have trouble interpreting the language used. I'm sure it all makes perfectly clear sense to someone who's already part of the flossmanual team, but - alas - I'm not even a coder, let alone developer. . .
Thanks for your help!
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maberly said
Thanks for the very speedy reply, Zenos -- I appreciate it!
You're welcome.
The separator was/is used by some software as a way of knowing what isn't essential to the message, so that it can discard it from subsequent threads -- yes?
Yes
By eliminating the separator, my signature is considered to be part of the text of the email - yes? Well, I guess it stands to reason that I would want my signature to be included in any email in which I'd send it, no?
That is certainly what most people actually do these days.
So, the bottom line, for me, would be: If I want to send a signature (mine will be an image only), and don't want to see those "--" separator indicators, I should ask TB to remove the signature delimiter -- yes?
Yes.
It does seem, to me, polite to have two signatures, at least in business.
One big one giving your contact details to use in a new message, and something more discreet for continuing conversations thereafter. Some short-sighted organizations (including my own employers) come out with a big garish monstrosity that is intended to be used on every business message.
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IMHO, it ought to say: ""It's important to note that removing the signature separator makes your signature part of the message you compose."
Allegedly, some software will recognize the separator and can rationally discard what's beneath, keeping to-and-fro conversation threads neat and tidy.
But…
a) I've never even seen Thunderbird do this; b) It's really a newsgroups (not an email) convention; c) The vast majority of mail users top-post and don't want anything automatically chopped out.
The comment you quote is clearly written from the viewpoint that separators are a good thing, along with interleaving/bottom-posting, and in all probability, plain-text-only messaging.
It's all a tad archaic. ;-)
Thanks for the very speedy reply, Zenos -- I appreciate it!
Because of my own inexperience with email/newsgroup conventions, there are parts of your explanation that I don't understand. However, let's see if I've got the gist of it:
The separator was/is used by some software as a way of knowing what isn't essential to the message, so that it can discard it from subsequent threads -- yes?
By eliminating the separator, my signature is considered to be part of the text of the email - yes? Well, I guess it stands to reason that I would want my signature to be included in any email in which I'd send it, no?
So, the bottom line, for me, would be: If I want to send a signature (mine will be an image only), and don't want to see those "--" separator indicators, I should ask TB to remove the signature delimiter -- yes?
Thanks again!
Valgt løsning
maberly said
Thanks for the very speedy reply, Zenos -- I appreciate it!
You're welcome.
The separator was/is used by some software as a way of knowing what isn't essential to the message, so that it can discard it from subsequent threads -- yes?
Yes
By eliminating the separator, my signature is considered to be part of the text of the email - yes? Well, I guess it stands to reason that I would want my signature to be included in any email in which I'd send it, no?
That is certainly what most people actually do these days.
So, the bottom line, for me, would be: If I want to send a signature (mine will be an image only), and don't want to see those "--" separator indicators, I should ask TB to remove the signature delimiter -- yes?
Yes.
It does seem, to me, polite to have two signatures, at least in business.
One big one giving your contact details to use in a new message, and something more discreet for continuing conversations thereafter. Some short-sighted organizations (including my own employers) come out with a big garish monstrosity that is intended to be used on every business message.
Thanks, Zenos!