Simple, basic, no threading, old school texting - it is possible?

[jdubu]

Hey folks,
What the heck - why is everyone so tied up with this sms threading trend.

I just want text messages in a long list I can view and reply.

Bottom line - I have no use for threading or grouping, or whatever it's called. Is this even possible anymore?

I just need to get text messages, view them, and be able to reply. That too much to ask...

I was hoping Handcent could be toned down to do this, but it seems it's not configurable enough...

Ideas anyone?

Thanks,
Jim

[jdubu]

A bit more clarification:

The downside is that threading doesn't always work well when the messages are sent from the same source, but have different "subjects."

In a social chat where people have different chat addresses this makes sense.

Linear chat where a business just needs to get updates like a pager it does not work as well.

If a server is down I need to see that text top of the list, and at a glance I can how long it's been down, etc., at a quick glance (not having to click the screen to the get to the important info).

On a given night I may have a number of web server events at a webhost, where the sending email address is always the same, the subject of each message is different, and/or the subject may be same but body text might be different (such as, server x is showing high load, server y has high latency in network, etc.), they all get lumped into one or possibly multiple threads.

So then I have to do digging through different threads because server x issue may have bits and pieces in thread 1 and 3, server y, in thread 2 and 3, etc.

So then I have a few threads with a jumble of different subjects or topics, making the management of different subject line or body information confusing.

There is a place for linear quck view lists, where responding is not always the norm, which is why I'm wondering why more businesses are not commenting on losing this respectively.

Thanks,
Jim