Making a copy of a DVD

[Stan Brown]

Top-posting is inclusive; it doesn't exclude or frustrate those users not

"Exclude" is a chimera.

And your upside-down posting *does* frustrate many of us.

Fortunately, there are killfiles.

 

[sticks]

No mousing, no scrolling? You're completely overlooking the fact that
I had to scroll down to see who and what you were replying to, then
scroll back up to read your reply. If I had skipped the scrolling and
simply started reading your reply, I wouldn't have had any context.

So while you apparently think you're doing your readers a favor,
you're actually doing the opposite.

Char has hit the nail on the head. Number one reason for not top
posting is that it forces the readers to double read many things that
otherwise wouldn't be necessary.

Robert does not really understand the meaning of "bottom posting."
Evidently, he thinks it means your reply goes all the way at the bottom.
In reality, it means your words go "below" what you are responding to.
This combined with proper snipping makes a thread flow as in
conversation. Email, especially business email, is a different animal.
That smart and handheld devices currently have limitations is not a
viable reason to change accepted procedures here. They will catch up.

It is said that people who top post are one of three things: newbie,
lazy or stupid. They can be any combination, or even all three of the
above. Hopefully, they outgrow the phase and try to fit in.

I suggest there is another description: Troll. In that case, Stan has
the best option. Killfile and get it over with.

sticks

 

[Prisca]

It is said that people who top post are one of three things: newbie,
lazy or stupid. They can be any combination, or even all three of the
above. Hopefully, they outgrow the phase and try to fit in.

sticks

Sorry to butt in on this fascinating conversation, but I just have to
jump in here.

I agree that there are many who are either a newbie, lazy or stupid, but
not everyone who top posts falls into these categories. I think in any
group the convention that should be followed is that of the specific
group, and those wishing to post in it should abide by the majority and
learn to observe the convention before wading in. In this particular
group I would bottom post, or possibly post inline if required.

In other groups that I'm subscribed to, many of which are specifically
for the blind or for those with an interest in blind technology, the
convention is for top posting because it takes time for screen readers
or braille readers to read through all the previous post to get to the
latest response. Electronic speech is quite time consuming at the best
of times, given that it tends to read all the headers and other garbage
which a sighted reader would automatically filter out or skim through.

In all cases though, the main thing for both top and bottom posters to
follow is the convention of proper snipping or editing posts. If I have
to wade through 20 previous posts to get to a one liner at the bottom
I've usually given up on the whole thing by then and just mark the
poster down as either lazy or too stupid to bother with.

Just my twopenneth and I will now go back to lurk mode

Regards
Prisca

 

[Robert Sudbury]

You're right. That extra text added by my AV is rather extraneous and
unnecessarily bulks the message.

I've removed it from my settings.

Thank you for pointing that out.

 

[Zaidy036]

WHAT is quite the opposite? Opposite of what? (Hang on while I scroll
down to see who and what you're replying to.) Ok, I'm back. Thanks for
making me scroll down and back up in order to make sense of your post.


Hmm, but you cost me a lot more time than that by making me scroll
down and back up. What is it you're trying to accomplish, exactly? Are
you quite sure this isn't just a case of being too lazy to place your
comments where they make contextual sense?


I saw the answer first, then I scrolled down to see the question, and
finally back up to re-read the answer. Thanks, I guess.

By the way, NOD32 can be configured to stop announcing that it has
checked your post prior to submission. We don't really need to see
that.

Why scroll when <ctrl>+<end> and <ctrl>+<home> are instantainious?

 

[Ken Blake]

Why scroll when <ctrl>+<end> and <ctrl>+<home> are instantainious?

Whether those choices exist for you depends on what newsreader you
use. They are *not* all the same.

And whether you can scroll quickly using such shortcuts or not, they
are still extra steps that aren't necessary if the message isn't top
posted.

 

[Steve Hayes]

... you've corrupted the conversation to your own ends by making it appear
that I've just either bottom-posted or replied in-line; causing me to appear
as a hypocrite.

No, I was just replying to your post as you saw it.

The section your are referring to should properly read, and I quote:

"What I'm attempting to convey in my comment:


... is that when you opened your reader program, when you selected this
message to read, what did you see first? ..."

What I read when I( opened my reader program was the first thing you said in
reply to something I said, except that you didn't reply to what I said, you
simply quoted something you yourself had said, making it *appear* that you
were replying, when actually you were not.

 

[Steve Hayes]

Robert does not really understand the meaning of "bottom posting."
Evidently, he thinks it means your reply goes all the way at the bottom.
In reality, it means your words go "below" what you are responding to.

And that is precisely the advantage of e-mail and other forms of electronic
communication.

In a paper letter, if you were replying to a loetter or memo that made several
points, you would have to write introductory material to make it clear which
point you are replying to.

Electronic mail improves on this by making it possible to reply to point
seriatim.

Top oposting, however, forces one to reply as if one were subject to the
contraints of paper mail.

This combined with proper snipping makes a thread flow as in
conversation. Email, especially business email, is a different animal.

I would disagree. Even there top posting is silly, especially if one is
replying to a message that makes several points.

 

[Steve Hayes]

Despite your apparent lack of conversation skills, I still scrolled through
to the bottom of your reply to read your one-line insult.

I respect your choice to bottom post, but I suggest you try to articulate
yourself in a less demeaning manner.

As for your argument pro or con, I see none.

You quoted all that just to say.... nothing.

 

[Steve Hayes]

Quite the opposite. I consider all time valuable.

Opposite to what?

 

[Steve Hayes]

You're right. That extra text added by my AV is rather extraneous and
unnecessarily bulks the message.

Who's right?

Right about what?

What's an AV?

I've removed it from my settings.

Removed what from myour settings?

Thank you for pointing that out.

Pointing what out?

 

[choro]

Do people have sex just in the missionary position? No? Well then, there
is scope for all three types of responding depending on circumstances.

BTW, would the missionary position be top posting or bottom posting? ;-)
-- choro

 

[choro]

Read what he is responding to, you stupid sod!
-- choro

 

[sticks]

I would disagree. Even there top posting is silly, especially if one is
replying to a message that makes several points.

I didn't say I like it, I said it is a different animal. What's worse,
is you can't call out superiors as easily because of their lazy or
stupid behavior.

 

[Char Jackson]

Why scroll when <ctrl>+<end> and <ctrl>+<home> are instantainious?

Why would you want to jump all the way to the end of the post? I've
never yet seen anyone put the attribution line down there. If you're
looking for the attribution line and the specific context of the post
being replied to, you can't jump to the end. You have to move down
until you find those things, whether by scrolling or other means.

 

[Erik Vastmasd]

[130 lines or so of quoting, and a one-line comment]

I'm not a frequent poster, but I usually pride myself in being able to
create a reasonable well edited reply.

Hon, you need to trim your quotes. Upside-down posters while
"there's so much to scroll through" as an argument for their wrong
style. Don't give 'em ammunition.

On this occasion after reading so many messages about top posting, day
after day, I was showing my contempt for discourteous top posters.

In future I will show my contempt by adding them to Agent's kill
filters. ;-)

 

[Steve Hayes]

Read what he is responding to, you stupid sod!

He said the way he posted he would save me three seconds because I wouldn't
need to scroll down.

But to read what he was responding to I would have to scroll down AND scroll
back up to reply, which would waste six seconds.

So in order to save the three seconds he said I would save, I have to respond
without knwing what he is responding to.

 

[choro]

He said the way he posted he would save me three seconds because I wouldn't
need to scroll down.

But to read what he was responding to I would have to scroll down AND scroll
back up to reply, which would waste six seconds.

So in order to save the three seconds he said I would save, I have to respond
without knwing what he is responding to.

It's a bit like spending $50 bucks to save $5! Fact is there IS no right
way and wrong way. It all depends on the circumstances.
-- choro

 

[Wolf K]

[130 lines or so of quoting, and a one-line comment]

I'm not a frequent poster, but I usually pride myself in being able to
create a reasonable well edited reply.

Hon, you need to trim your quotes. Upside-down posters while
"there's so much to scroll through" as an argument for their wrong
style. Don't give 'em ammunition.

On this occasion after reading so many messages about top posting, day
after day, I was showing my contempt for discourteous top posters.

In future I will show my contempt by adding them to Agent's kill
filters. ;-)

"Cutting off your nose to spite your face", it looks like.

Wolf K.