Ironically, the parent link for the post you replied to actually populated this time.
If the post you are replying to is the most recent post, no link back will show.
Thus, you can assume posts without a link back showing were responding to the post preceding it or to no post at all.
About 85.3333 (repeating of course) percent sure on this. 
The only way that you can know for sure is if you are the OP or the one who made the last post. That individual will get a notification about the reply depending on which button was clicked.
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I think my theory makes sense. Think of the thread as a conversation. If you’re responding to the immediately prior post, there’s no need for a link back. If you’re responding to something someone said 10 minutes ago (or 10 posts back) it makes sense to link back so people can follow along.
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Except people don’t read the whole thread and post an ambiguous reply to the first post and it looks like he replied to the last post.
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Same problem existed with the old software.
I’m just trying to explain how the software seems to work. Not saying it is ideal. If I don’t see a link back I assume the person is responding to the immediately prior post or that they hit the general reply button at the bottom. If it doesn’t logically follow from the immediately prior post, I simply move on. I personally find the link backs helpful, but obviously it’s better for everyone if there is a direct quote, which I think was the original point.
Now back to complaining about Champagne prices! 
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It didn’t. The old software allowed you to quote the post to which you were responding.
Also in the transition this software dropped all quotes from old threads. It has made them pretty much useless
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The problem noted by me among others is that the ‘link back’ is not consistent. For example, I replied and linked above to a post by Chris James and so linked, but it showed up as a reply to John Kane.
Agreed it was easier to quote on the old system, but it’s not impossible on this one. Harder on mobile for sure.
It is inconsistent with this sw.
Also it is a strict grammarian. No 2 letter posts. Dislikes incomplete sentences.
Oh well.
Maybe I’m missing something, but it’s simple to quote a post in the new software. Hit reply to that post, then the cartoon text bubble icon in the upper left above the area for the text of the new post. That quotes the whole post, you can edit from there.
As far as I recall, the old software had no link to the quoted post no matter how you replied or quoted (or didn’t), not sure why people would prefer it for that reason.
-Al
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You know what; you’re right. The icon adds the quoted post. I did not know that (and it isn’t labeled).
You are wrong about the prior s/w though. The quote posted automatically and there was automatically a link to the quoted post
So does this software, again, Neal.
Click ‘reply’ then if you WANT the message quoted, hit the speaking bubble icon and it inserts the quote - this way, you can include it if you wish, but if you do not, it still records the message from which you are replying with a link and preview of it should the reader wish to click it.
I’m cleaning this up - not the place for this conversation
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yup. I JUST SAID that above, in the post you didn’t quote
Sorry, Neal, that’s incorrect - there were two ‘reply’ options:
- Reply
- Reply with Quote
The first had zero indication which post you were responding to (unlike this, where if you click ‘reply’ to a post it is linked, with instant preview for those who want it, simply by clicking the tiny avatar of the poster from which the post you are replying to originated), the 2nd option had the post replied to embedded in your reply.
My comment (and frustration) isn’t with quoting replies; it is that I will click reply to a specific post in a discussion, but my post will appear, as if by magic, replying to a different post than the post I specified in my reply.
It isn’t consistent, but it happens randomly to other and to me.
Can you link you an example?
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Agreed - I would definitely like to see this in action, my suspicion is that people are clicking the reply button in the post they think it is, but it is actually a different one