[Public-List] Replies

[George Dinwiddie]

Michael

On 6/30/18 5:16 AM, Michael via Public-List wrote:
> <snip>
> people reading the new posts will have to take the time to sift through 
> mounds of useless material before they get to what is sometimes a 
> one-line reply.
> <snip>
> 
> Which brings up a question I have always been a little curious 
> about-partially answered in another reply to this thread-I have seen 
> people get pretty emotional about the top thread/bottom thread issue in 
> other forums. Wouldn't top threading eliminate the need to sift? Is 
> there another reason besides relative self esteem to denigrate top 
> threaders?

This is an argument as heated and almost as old as vi vs. emacs.

I generally prefer replying inline, as it's more readable and you can 
tell the context of different parts of the reply. It also encourages 
some discipline on the part of the writer, as leaving a lot of 
irrelevant material makes it likely no one sees your best comment.

Some people like bottom-posting, so you can read the entire thread in 
order. A decent mail client threads the emails so this isn't necessary. 
That said, there are many mail clients these days that are not decent.

As you can see, I'm bottom-posting this reply, and I've edited the 
quote-back to just the part that's pertinent to my reply.

The pitiful capabilities of most modern mail clients, and the tendency 
toward laziness, leads to most people top-posting. They type what they 
have to say, ignoring all the cruft below. This wastes bandwidth and 
storage, though these days there are so many practices that waste much 
more. Still, I keep in mind that there are people using the list on 
cruising boats where they may have limited bandwidth and may be paying 
for what they have by the kilobyte.

I've gotten lazy and often top-post when the interchange is 
conversational. I do, however, try to trim the rest of the post, 
especially if it's gotten long.

Email etiquette receives much less attention than it did in the days of 
Emily Post.

  - George

-- 
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   When I remember bygone days                         George Dinwiddie
   I think how evening follows morn;            gdinwiddie at alberg30.org
   So many I loved were not yet dead,           http://www.Alberg30.org
   So many I love were not yet born.                          also see:
                'The Middle' by Ogden Nash     http://idiacomputing.com
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