[Asterisk-Users] Asterisk-Users List Etiquette

[Jay Milk]

I know the horse is dead, but I still want to get a couple of hits in.

I've been using the usenet/internet since the early 90s, and I've had my
share of newsreaders, mailclients, etc.  I've been active on the web
with my own sites since 94/95.

Yet... Gasp!... I PREFER TOP-POSTING (and I will continue to do so).

To address the points brought up on the page you linked:
1. Just because something is proper (n)etiquette doesn't make it any
better.  You're supposed to drink white wine with poultry, but I still
prefer a coke with my Chicken McNuggets.
2. What makes Forte Agent a "good newsreader"?  Would that be opinion,
or independently researched and verified fact.  I remember using Forte
(Free)Agent back in 95 or 96, and it was a crappy application that would
crash at least once which each session.  That aside, I don't use
signatures -- they're a waste of bandwidth.
3. Top-Posting only makes posts incomprehensible to those readers with
short attention span and/or Alzheimer's.  I usually follow my mailing
lists, and if I'm reading a reply that I don't understand, I quickly
scroll down the preferably top-posted message and read the context.
4. Server space being oh-so-expensive these days, that's a big concern.
Not.  But I do agree that people should at least zap the other posters'
signatures (or maybe they shouldn't be included in the first place?) and
the list-signature.
5. Hmm.. Top-posting makes bottom-posting harder?  Then don't
bottom-post!  Bottom-posting makes READING a mailing list more difficult
than it needs to be, and with ONE person posting and 8,000-10,000 people
READING the messages, that should be the main concern.
6. Or if you like, you can drop your "good newsreader" and start
conforming to the MS world.  I don't think the preferences of some
should dictate the software choice of the majority.  I'm not saying I
love Outlook, but it's served me more-or-less well for 7 or 8 years.  I
can not afford to drop it and lose years worth of correspondence.  I
also won't run a secondary mail-reader just to participate in
discussions about netiquette.
7. Same pointless reasoning as in point 3.  If you have SOME semblence
of short- or mid-term memory, you'll pick up right where you left of.
No scrolling required, unless you completely forgot everything you read
in the last 6-12 hours.  I only read about 1/2 the messages in the
asterisk list by subject (why read about PRI when only have SIP and
POTS?), and of the discussions that I follow, I have to scroll down only
one in every ten -- and most of those are the bottom-posted ones.
8. Oooh, now I'm scared -- flames.  Way to ignore completely what I
might have to contribute because I "post incorrectly".  And Jesus was
ostracized because He healed on the Sabbath.

Well, I think I explained my preference for top-posting well enough.  My
asterisk-messages all go into the same folder in my OUTLOOK mail reader,
and the top 1/3 of the screen holds a message list, while the bottom 2/3
have a message preview.  I can click through messages one-by-one, and
usually only need to pick up the mouse when someone decided to
bottom-post.  Most of the time, I skip those messages.

I know I won't -- and don't care to -- persuade those who have been told
for years they should bottom-post.  Heck, maybe you even have valid
reasons (which I haven't seen yet).  And maybe you look at my list of
reasons they same way I look at yours: with complete and utter
perplexion.

So, maybe we can just agree to disagree.

(PS: You're welcome for not having to scroll to the bottom to start
reading this message :)
 
-----Original Message-----
From: Nicholas Bachmann [mailto:asterisk at not-real.org] 
Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 2004 8:13 AM
To: asterisk-users at lists.digium.com
Subject: Re: [Asterisk-Users] Asterisk-Users List Etiquette


Holger Schurig wrote:

>>Before hanging up, there should be an extension reminding everyone 
>>that top posting is super duper wrong and oh so annoying.
>>    
>>
>
>Must I use the Wiki or Google to find out what "top posting" is?  :-)
>  
>
You might try reading http://www.caliburn.nl/topposting.html -- it 
explains why people don't like top posting.

Nick