[X-Newbies] Top posing in mail?

[Jamie Kahn Genet]

Jane <TheMacintoshLady at earthlink.net> wrote:
> 
> I prefer the missionary position myself.........

*sigh* Oh well, people will be stubborn and careless of others just for
the hell of it.

Anyway, this list is for helping MacOS X newbies. Well, it's been said
by myself, and other long time emailers why top posting is considered
bad form in public email - _especially_ in mailing lists. But it's up to
you whether you chose to care about others, or take what you may
actually find good advice, if only you gave it a chance. Try as I might,
I cannot think how anyone could find reading bottom to top or replies
all muddled over the place (with both top and bottom posting) easy or
efficient.

Still, it's up to everyone to make up their minds. Frankly if this
wasn't a friendly mailing list aimed at helping beginners, I'd be
killfiling people left and right. I certainly do that in other forums
where a higher level of netiquette is expected. BTW - I highly advise
anyone new to email to do a google search on that term - 'netiquette'
(see below for some relevant URLs).

Well, I've said my piece, so I'm off to read a book (Spock's World by
Diane Duane - yes, I'm a Trekkie :-) ) for a while.

Grumpily yours,
 Jamie Kahn Genet.

Netiquette links:

<http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc1855.html> - people don't generally write
RFCs for fun, unless it's April the 1st. Yes - it's only a
recommendation. But these RFCs are what the email system you use today
was built upon.

<http://www.allmyfaqs.com/faq.pl?Top-posting_or_bottom-posting>

<http://www.caliburn.nl/topposting.html>
<http://www.blakjak.demon.co.uk/gey_stv0.htm>  - both focused on Usenet
posting, but relevant to public email, and especially mailing lists
(which are very similar to Usenet as regards netiquette and style
considerations).

> On May 19, 2005, at 8:41 AM, Jamie Kahn Genet wrote:
> 
> >  B.ru c-e •K1u-tch-k0  <AppleRocket at NoSpamMail.net> wrote:
> > [snip]
> >> Outlook dominates the business world and is a defacto standard for
> >> such writings. Most business people expect top posting and are
> >> confused by bottom posting. Outlook does not take into account the
> >> needs of other users - for example, people who subscribe to mailing
> >> lists. It is possible to bottom post in Outlook, but the vast
> >> majority of its users don't know how.
> >
> > They're unable to move their mouse and click at the bottom of the
> > quoting - thus moving the insertion point? This takes two seconds or
> > less. I hit the End key, or zip downwards with my scroll wheel if it's
> > a
> > short document, then click once with my mouse where I wish to begin
> > typing. 1 - 2 seconds, tops. That's not hard, surely?
[snip]
> > Regards,
> >  Jamie Kahn Genet
-- 
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 aka TOFU (Top-post Over, Full quote Under)
Q: What is the most annoying thing on usenet?