[Tfug] top/bottom and middle posting

[Claude Rubinson]

On Wed, Feb 18, 2009 at 05:36:16PM +0000, Glen Pfeiffer wrote:
> That is what I'm doing now and I find it difficult to phrase the
> opening.

That's what I was wondering about and I wonder if it will be high
enough of an imposition that people won't do it.  Personally, I really
like to be able to see what part of an email somebody is responding
to.  Certainly, when I'm texting from my phone, I don't provide
much/if any context.  But, then, of course, I'm generally only texting
something very specific to one person (or, sometimes, a handful of
people).

Selective quoting has many, many advantages.  And no disadvantages for
the reader.  And there are enough decent webmail hosts out there that
I don't feel bad about suggesting that people who are using a broken
one upgrade.  But I don't know what the solution is for people who are
using smart phones.  The best solution, of course, is that mutt and
emacs get ported to all smartphones asap!  (Ugh, can you imagine
keychording on a phone?)  The linux-elitists mailing list would simply
ban you (l-e requires that you use a free mailer).  But that's not my
inclination.  Nor, I would think, the preference of most of TFUG.

As others have stated, "rules" are no good (and, w/in TFUG, would
never be adhered to anyway).  I think that the best solution is for
people to be aware of the consequences of their choices.  I don't
think that anybody's going to get flamed for top posting or not
trimming your replies.  But if you do, be aware that you're making it
more difficult for many of us, more likely that you may be ignored,
and could possibly increase some ill-will.

Claude