Conference iosg::all-in-1_v30

96.0. "NOTESMAIL - A Wishlist Item in ProtoType" by IOSG::WDAVIES (Vic Williams is still not free) Tue Feb 25 1992 15:44

    Is there any interest/comments in the following prototype out there ?
                                                
    NoteMail is a prototype new FORMAT which enables users to mail
    and store real Vaxnotes entries in their DOCUMENT FileCabinet.
                                   
    The user can, using the Create Note Mail option, create mail, which
    is written as a new Topic or a Reply in a selected conference. When the
    recipients of this mail read it, they will actually read the note
    as it is posted in the conference, and be able to read the replies
    to it (plus the preceding replies and other topics).
                             
    A user can also specify an existing note, and send it along with a
    cover note to recipients. Recipients can reply to this mail, and 
    may opt to post their reply in the conference, in which case the
    reply recipients will recieve the Notes conference entry.
                                 
    At heart, this establishes a new FORMAT of "NOTES", which consists
    of a data file, with Conference and Note number. The Read (eg from EM or
    WP) invokes GPC to display the actual note from the conference.        
                                                                   
    Note the following advantages.                                 
                                                                   
    1) Users can store VAXnotes conferences in their FILECABINET, without
       the need to go to the GPC Menu, and read them along with documents
    2) Users can send co-workers a specific note, without having to extract
       it into mail.                     
    3) This is also gives a mechanism for passing Notes conferences on.
    4)  Users can write and reply into conferences , and inform people
        that they've done so, in ONE operation.
    5)  It saves a bit of diskspace
    6)  It maintains correspondence between mail you recieve and notes
        posted. Currently if someone sends you mail, and also posts it in 
        a notes file, you end up reading the same document twice. Now you
        can avoid that.
    
    Disadvantages.
    1) No local copy - network resources may become a bottleneck
                                                     
   Comments.
    1) Not intended to replace Shared Filing at all. It is intended to 
       blur the edges of the user interface for those who use both forms
       of communication.                     
                                                  
     Winton

    Hi Winton,
    
      I think that's a _great_ idea, but I had one question about security:
    
      If I opt to send such a note to another person, and the note is in a
    private conference where _they_ don't have access, will they be able to
    read it?  I would hope not, and in such a case, it may be confusing to
    the recepient.
    
    						Cheers, regards, Dan'l

    No they can't - One solution maybe to extract and forward the note
    as well as an additional attachment thus catering for cases where 
    the node is down etc.           
             
    Winton