[Scmail] Re: Spamcop down?

[Alan Brown]

Mike Easter wrote:
<SNIP>
> 
> The reason top posting communicates so poorly is because it destroys the
> context, and the factors that affect our ability to 'read'/interpret
> what the top poster is thinking about are adversely affected by the lack
> of context.  When you 'speak' in incomplete sentences 'to save time' and
> to be more 'casual' it makes it harder to interpret what you are saying.
> At least it does for me, I don't know about others.
> 
> 

Mike:

I have been using USENET before it was called USENET.  Originally, it 
was impossible to do "Top Posting" because message replys were 
automatically appended to the end of a message chain.  With the advent 
of full screen editors, the capability to do top or bottom posting (or 
mid stream posting) became a reality.  Numerous battles were fought over 
the "proper" way to post and eventually top posting became an indication 
that a poster was using Microsoft software and didn't have a clue as to 
how "real" computers worked (Microsoft's default was to top post).

I have heard all the arguments for and against top posting (and at one 
time was a religious zealot against all those top posting heretics). 
However, the reality of today's world is that email is more important 
for communication than Usenet.  It is rare in the corporate world to 
find anyone bottom posting in an email chain.  There are a few who do, 
but they are now considered the oddball (even though top posting in an 
email was at one time considered inappropriate).

While I would agree with you that top posting in Usenet is 
inappropriate, it is time to let this religious war die and divert 
energies and resources to something more productive.  We who understand 
the value of a logical chain and progression of thought have lost this 
battle.  We need to move on, accept the inferior, and focus on things 
that are important (like "tastes better" or "less filling").

         - Alan