Re: [Ring] Edit last message

[Julian Foad]

Óvári wrote on 2018-04-20:
> Please enable pressing the up arrow (on ring-gnome) to edit the last 
> sent message.

There has been some previous discussion: see

  http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/ring/2017-12/msg00010.html

and following messages.

What level of sophistication do you want? There is a range of possibilities.

The simplest possibility could be something like in Xchat/Hexchat where 
pressing the "up" arrow recalls a *copy* of the previous sent message, and you 
can edit it, and it sends the result as a new message with no metadata 
connecting it to the previous message. The recipients see both the previous and 
the new message, not linked together. That's not very slick, but it is useful 
for some kinds of correction.

A much more complex design could be something like in Slack where pressing the 
"up" arrow visually indicates that you are now editing the previous sent 
message (not just a copy of it). When you send it, the recipients see the 
previous message change to the new one, the annotation "(edited)" after it, and 
both the original date and date of editing (if you hover over "(edited)"). This 
sort of design would take quite a lot of effort.

Another related potential feature (or mis-feature) is "redaction" which means 
the ability to "take back" something you said. As Bill said in that previous 
discussion it's impossible in general (because the data is already out there) 
and there are lots of reasons it's a bad idea to try to do it. It looks like 
Slack's implementation is attempting a kind of redaction, in that it doesn't 
provide a way to see the original message (at least not easily). An alternative 
user interface design could show the original and the edits, making it clear 
that redaction is not intended.

Personally I would find some level of editing capability to be useful and 
friendly. What level? I don't care exactly, but probably near the "simple" end 
of the spectrum. And I don't think it is the most important thing for Ring at 
this time, and I am not volunteering :-)

How about you?

- Julian