Why top-posting is bad

[Brad Knowles]

At 5:10 PM +0530 2004-08-27, Rahul Siddharthan wrote:

>>    [Format recovered--see http://www.lemis.com/email/email-format.html]
>>
>>  at the top of such replies and
>
>  First comment: you included this message at the top of this mail, but
>  the only difference in format I see between your message and mine is
>  the quoting ">" marks.  Why your "format recovered" message?

	Lines re-wrapped, I should think.  Or, if he's responding to 
e-mail that was formatted in HTML, then it's probably the first ASCII 
conversion/line-wrapping job that has been done to them.

>                                                               Have you
>  considered that some people, who don't see an obvious formatting
>  problem with their mail, may consider this message offensive?

	Then they need to read that page.  That's why the comment is there.

>                       Or, if there was indeed some subtle formatting
>  problem in my message that you've corrected, shouldn't you be polite
>  enough to tell me what it is?  Your webpage certainly doesn't.

	There's a whole host of things that might be wrong.  Indeed, 
there's literally an infinite number of things that might be wrong. 
Instead of trying to enumerate all the possible ways in which your 
message might be inappropriately formatted, it's easier/better to 
tell people what proper formatting is.

	Indeed, it really is the *only* feasible thing to do in such circumstances.

>  I get plenty of messages that are top-posted continuously all the way
>  for 10 generations.  I see no problem in following the context.

	You may not.  But most people do.  I've been doing e-mail for 
going on twenty-five years, and I have problems following this sort 
of crap.  I can't imagine that anyone less experienced would have an 
easier time of it.

>  I agree this does not apply to FreeBSD lists, but most people may not
>  realise that unless it's (politely) explained to them.  Anyway,
>  top-posting isn't unheard-of in FreeBSDland either: I've seen JKH and
>  Scott Long do it, among others.

	Greg does explain this politely.  See the above web page.

>  That can be explained politely, rather than saying "Top-posters won't
>  be honoured with a reply".

	See above.

-- 
Brad Knowles, <brad at stop.mail-abuse.org>

"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little
temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

     -- Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), reply of the Pennsylvania
     Assembly to the Governor, November 11, 1755

   SAGE member since 1995.  See <http://www.sage.org/> for more info.