[Namron] Excessive replies

[mikea]

On Mon, Apr 26, 2004 at 10:36:21AM -0500, Grimmie wrote:
> I hate some to send a message and I have to go look 
> for the email that they are referencing  to see what they 
> are talking about. I do not save email list postings so 
> I have to go to the website to see what they are talking 
> about or I ignore the email because they deleted 
> the quote of the email they are replying to.  That is 
> what a reply is for. Set your email program to put 
> your post at the top not bottom.
> Ron Dawdy
> Grimhun

Are you having a bad day, Grimhun? His Excellency is Doing It The 
Right Way: the response goes _after_ the text to which it responds,
as in this modest example. This is, in fact, the way real Professional
Programmers (such as I, and folks who have been doing it even longer 
than my mere 40 years experience) format posts: 

>>> Original text

>> first response

> second response

Here are some selected quotations on the topic, also from people who 
write programs for their livings and have been doing so long enough to
Have Clue: 

: A: Because it messes up the order in which people normally read text.
: Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing?
: A: Top-posting.
: Q: What is the most annoying thing on usenet and in e-mail?

: A Because it's annoying and makes no sense.
: Q Why is top-posting bad?

: Answer: two spoonfuls in my cup, please.
: Question: how much should I use?
:
: (why top-posting is bad)

Now, I have an observation and two suggestions: 

O1) Real E-mail and Usenet software (not the training-wheels stuff 
    that uses web browsers) will let you Do The Right Thing easily.

S1) Address the Baron and Baroness with the respect due their rank;
    I wouldn't presume to bluntly tell Baron Ulf to "Set your email 
    program to put your post at the top not bottom", even if it were
    the right way to do things -- which it is _not_ -- and  I've known 
    him for coming on 25 years. 

S2) Either learn to read (and write) E-mail and Usenet posts the right
    way, or don't read (and don't respond to) the ones that you think  
    are formatted incorrectly. 

Want to try again, now? 

-- 
Mike Andrews	/	Michael Fenwick 	Barony of Namron, Ansteorra
mikea at mikea.ath.cx
Tired old music Laurel