Bug 318906

Summary: KMail replies by default to "sender" instead of "From" in distribution lists: unintended list spamming frequent
Product: [Applications] kmail2 Reporter: A. Sala <asala>
Component: UIAssignee: kdepim bugs <kdepim-bugs>
Status: RESOLVED UNMAINTAINED    
Severity: minor CC: wolfgang
Priority: NOR    
Version: 4.10.2   
Target Milestone: ---   
Platform: Other   
OS: Linux   
Latest Commit: Version Fixed In:
Sentry Crash Report:

Description A. Sala 2013-04-26 08:17:58 UTC
When receiving mails from a distribution list, the field "sender" is usually the list server agent.
However, the field "From" is the actual submitter of the message. To avoid abusing the list, the default reply should be reply to the "From" address.


Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Select a list message in the inbox
2. Press "R" or select "Reply"

Actual Results:  

Actual behaviour:
Default Reply replies to the whole list (wrong, in my opinion).
Reply to Author, Reply All: correct behaviour.


Expected Results:  

Expected behaviour:
1. "Reply" action opens composer window with "TO:" extracted from "From:" field in original message (same default as "reply to author"). [Or, perhaps, a dialog reply to list or reply to author?] ... Other Clients do like this (Dynamic Mail webmail).



Here you have a message header causing this behaviour.
Return-Path: <automatica-bounces@dit.upm.es>
Received: from smtpx.upv.es (smtpxv.cc.upv.es [158.42.249.46])
	 by acentauri.cc.upv.es (Cyrus v2.3.16-Invoca-RPM-2.3.16-4) with LMTPA;
	 Thu, 25 Apr 2013 09:46:13 +0200
X-Sieve: CMU Sieve 2.3
Received: from mx.upv.es (mx4.cc.upv.es [158.42.250.194])
	by smtpx.upv.es (8.14.3/8.14.3) with ESMTP id r3P7kDib027685;
	Thu, 25 Apr 2013 09:46:13 +0200
Received: from mail2.dit.upm.es (lists.dit.upm.es [138.4.2.25])
	by mx.upv.es (8.14.3/8.14.3) with ESMTP id r3P7k5mU016662
	(version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA bits=256 verify=NO);
	Thu, 25 Apr 2013 09:46:10 +0200
Received: from mail2.dit.upm.es (localhost.localdomain [127.0.0.1])
	by mail2.dit.upm.es (8.14.2/8.14.2) with ESMTP id r3P7ckPs010640;
	Thu, 25 Apr 2013 09:38:51 +0200
Received: from mail.dit.upm.es (mail.dit.upm.es
	[IPv6:2001:720:1500:42:215:c5ff:fef6:86e4])
	by mail2.dit.upm.es (8.14.2/8.14.2) with ESMTP id r3P7cjgn010637
	(version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA bits=256 verify=NO)
	for <automatica@lists.dit.upm.es>; Thu, 25 Apr 2013 09:38:45 +0200
Received: from relay.dit.upm.es (relay.dit.upm.es
	[IPv6:2001:720:1500:42:21d:9ff:fef0:9725])
	by mail.dit.upm.es (8.14.2/8.14.2) with ESMTP id r3P7cjHo006890
	(version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA bits=256 verify=NO)
	for <automatica@dit.upm.es>; Thu, 25 Apr 2013 09:38:45 +0200
Received: from relay.upm.es (euclides.ccupm.upm.es [138.100.198.17])
	by relay.dit.upm.es (8.14.2/8.14.2) with ESMTP id r3P7ccuU017317
	(version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA bits=256 verify=NO)
	for <automatica@dit.upm.es>; Thu, 25 Apr 2013 09:38:38 +0200
Received: from smtpsalv.upv.es (smtpsal1.cc.upv.es [158.42.249.61])
	by relay.upm.es (8.14.3/8.14.3/euclides-002) with ESMTP id
	r3P7cX5u016856
	for <automatica@dit.upm.es>; Thu, 25 Apr 2013 09:38:38 +0200
Authentication-Results: relay.upm.es; dkim=pass (2048-bit key)
	header.i=@upv.es; dkim-adsp=temperror
Received: from smtpx.upv.es (smtpxv.cc.upv.es [158.42.249.46])
	by smtpsalv.upv.es (8.14.4/8.14.4) with ESMTP id r3P7cIJx024846
	(version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA bits=256 verify=NO)
	for <automatica@dit.upm.es>; Thu, 25 Apr 2013 09:38:18 +0200
Received: from smtp.upv.es (celaeno.cc.upv.es [158.42.249.55])
	by smtpx.upv.es (8.14.3/8.14.3) with ESMTP id r3P7cI83021736
	for <automatica@dit.upm.es>; Thu, 25 Apr 2013 09:38:18 +0200
Received: from localhost (wm2.cc.upv.es [158.42.249.57])
	by smtp.upv.es (8.13.6/8.13.6) with ESMTP id r3P7cHTo015968
	for <automatica@dit.upm.es>; Thu, 25 Apr 2013 09:38:17 +0200
Received: from cpohimac01.isa.upv.es (cpohimac01.isa.upv.es [158.42.16.26])
	by webmail.upv.es (Horde Framework) with HTTP; Thu, 25 Apr 2013 09:38:17
	+0200
Message-ID: <20130425093817.35761zz7up8oocix@webmail.upv.es>
Date: Thu, 25 Apr 2013 09:38:17 +0200
From: Francesc Xavier Blasco Ferragud <xblasco@isa.upv.es>
To: "automatica@dit.upm.es" <automatica@dit.upm.es>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Disposition: inline
User-Agent: Dynamic Internet Messaging Program (DIMP) H3 (1.1.6)
Received-SPF: Pass (relay.upm.es: domain of xblasco@isa.upv.es
	designates 158.42.249.61 as permitted sender)
	receiver=relay.upm.es; client-ip=158.42.249.61;
	envelope-from=<xblasco@isa.upv.es>; helo=smtpsalv.upv.es;
X-SpamDIT-Info: -2.596 () AWL, BAYES_00,
	SPF_HELO_PASS - changed by relay.dit.upm.es
X-SpamDIT-Flag: NO
X-Scanned-By: MIMEDefang 2.65 on 138.4.2.15
Subject: [Automatica] =?iso-8859-1?q?Inscripci=F3n_en_la_II_Jornada_conexi?=
 =?iso-8859-1?q?=F3n_Universidad_Industria_en_Ingenier=EDa_de_Control?=
X-BeenThere: automatica@dit.upm.es
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.9
Precedence: list
List-Id: Socios del CEA <automatica.dit.upm.es>
List-Unsubscribe: <https://lists.dit.upm.es/mailman/listinfo/automatica>,
	<mailto:automatica-request@dit.upm.es?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <http://lists.dit.upm.es/pipermail/automatica>
List-Post: <mailto:automatica@dit.upm.es>
List-Help: <mailto:automatica-request@dit.upm.es?subject=help>
List-Subscribe: <https://lists.dit.upm.es/mailman/listinfo/automatica>,
	<mailto:automatica-request@dit.upm.es?subject=subscribe>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Sender: automatica-bounces@dit.upm.es
Errors-To: automatica-bounces@dit.upm.es
Comment 1 Wolfgang Ludwig 2013-11-06 15:07:42 UTC
I can confirm that this is an issue, especially when an email alias such as allstudents@university.edu is used to send announcement to all members of the community. Clearly, responses to the email should go to the sender and not to the collection address.

I suggest the following solution: There is anyway a possibity in KMail2 to setup a directory for the use with a mailing list. If a directory is set up in this way, in my experience, emails always go to the mailing list (even if the address is nowhere mentioned in the email header). So, I suggest that replies should only go to the mailing list if the directory is set up in this way, and by default, a reply should go to the sender / all the senders.

It would also be good if there is a configuration option for the default action for hitting on "reply" so that by default the reply goes to the sender, not the list. There are many situations where people don't expect to be posting on the list, and the damage of accidently not posting to the list but to the sender is smaller than vice-versa.
Comment 2 Denis Kurz 2016-09-24 18:11:36 UTC
This bug has only been reported for versions before 4.14, which have been unsupported for at least two years now. Can anyone tell if this bug still present?

If noone confirms this bug for a Framework-based version of kmail2 (version 5.0 or later, as part of KDE Applications 15.12 or later), it gets closed in about three months.
Comment 3 Denis Kurz 2017-01-07 22:17:30 UTC
Just as announced in my last comment, I close this bug. If you encounter it again in a recent version (at least 5.0 aka 15.08), please open a new one unless it already exists. Thank you for all your input.