Re: Ace, Kevin and other MVPs

Tech-Archive recommends: Repair Windows Errors & Optimize Windows Performance

From: Jonathan de Boyne Pollard (J.deBoynePollard_at_Tesco.NET)
Date: 03/23/04 

Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2004 01:27:34 +0000

L> Top posting is rude and does not follow the norm when
L> it comes to following a discussion.

The norm that top-posting actually does not follow is the norm for the
direction of writing, including the writing of conversations, in most written
languages.

L> Top posting is just plain lazy.

No, it isn't. It's just as "lazy" to always add text before the quoted
message because one's NUA places the cursor there initially as it is to always
add text after the quoted message because one's NUA places the cursor there
initially. This brings me to the next point:

L> Not snipping the part you are not directly replying to is
L> also rude, wastes space, and is lazy.

It's important to realise that there are two separate things here: where the
new text is added in relation to the quoted text, and how much of the message
being replied to is quoted. It's _not trimming quoted text_ that is in fact
what is lazy. This has nothing to do with where, relative to that text, the
new text is added. Lazy lack of editing is frequently exemplified _both_ by
top-posters (who add their 1-line replies to 100-line messages at the top)
_and_ by bottom-posters (who add their 1-line replies to 100-line messages at
the bottom). In fact, the only class of people who don't generally exhibit
this behaviour are the inline-posters. I suspect that this is because they
are more used to the concept of actually editing the quoted text because it is
a routine part of how they reply anyway.

This is an old discussion, of course.

<URL:http://netmeister.org./news/learn2quote2.html>

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