[Asterisk-Users] Top posting

[George Gardiner]

I must admit I live in perpetual fear of forgetting to switch of html or rtf formatting (useful for work) and top posting.  I can understand the issue with the former but can see absolutely no reason why top posting is such a problem.  In fact I'd far prefer it.  I get to my e-mail in batches and bottom posting means I've got to wade through stuff I've just read.  I totally agree with snipping extensively.

So that I can understand the almost religious fervour on this point could someone please explain to me why top posting is so hated!!  

I can understand that if you are responding to multiple points in an e-mail then you should reply below each point snipping out what is irrelevant to your reply in the original e-mail.  If you're responding to an entire e-mail then the proper approach to my mind would to do as you would in business letters and start with a short paragraph explaining what you're doing (e.g. "In response to Fred's e-mail about AMD MP motherboards and interrupts, ...".  I guess most of us are too lazy to do this so we just leave the original text in the e-mail.  If we're really lazy we don't snip the irrelevant stuff out.

Am I missing something totally?!   I'm just about to go and get my flak jacket and helmet in anticipation of the responses. :)

Regards,
George