[ubuntu-uk] top posting row (was Uk Loco team forums)

[Sean Miller]

Ian wrote:
> You have and its appalling bad taste in my language.
>   
Just to explain for a moment, Ian, why people feel so passionately at 
times about top posting in an e-mail list and as a result sometimes we 
can end up with situations like this where one person feels "victimised" 
or the like...

Imagine yourself as a "Digest" subscriber to the list. You will get one 
e-mail daily with all the posts in. Imagine then that there is a big 
issue going on and many posts are on one thread. If we take a 
conversation thus...

Mike: "Good morning, Bob... lovely day isn't it."
Bob: "Indeed it is. Fancy a pint at lunchtime down the Dog and Duck?"
Mike: "Oh, definitely. What time?"
Bob: "Midday?"
Mike: "Great! Seeya there"

Easy enough isn't it? Right... let's imagine they all top post... what's 
the digest going to look like?

10:15am Mike at mike.com
Good morning, Bob... lovely day isn't it.

10.20am Bob at bob.com
Indeed it is. Fancy a pint at lunchtime down the Dog and Duck?

Mike wrote:
 >Good morning, Bob... lovely day isn't it.

10.25am Mike at mike.com
Oh, definitely. What time?

Bob wrote:
 >Indeed it is. Fancy a pint at lunchtime down the Dog and Duck?
 >
 >Mike wrote:
 >>Good morning, Bob... lovely day isn't it.

10.26am Bob at bob.com
Midday?

Mike wrote:
 >Oh, definitely. What time?
 >
 >Bob wrote:
 >>Indeed it is. Fancy a pint at lunchtime down the Dog and Duck?
 >>
 >>Mike wrote:
 >>>Good morning, Bob... lovely day isn't it.

10.28am Mike at mike.com
Great, Seeya there!

Bob wrote:
 >Midday?
 >
 >Mike wrote:
 >>Oh, definitely. What time?
 >>
 >>Bob wrote:
 >>>Indeed it is. Fancy a pint at lunchtime down the Dog and Duck?
 >>>
 >>>Mike wrote:
 >>>>Good morning, Bob... lovely day isn't it.

...and that was *such* a simple conversation. Imagine a technical 
discussion.

Please understand, Ian, nobody is trying to drive anybody else off this 
list.

I believe the request to be simply saying *try* to think about making it 
easy for the other readers when you post. It literally only takes a few 
seconds to snip out the bits you're replying to but it could save those 
reading the digest hours when trying to make head or tail of a conversation.

Sean