[cobalt-users] rant not, just loosen up

["Davis" <rdavis@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Ahoy

1)
>(Remember that some users pay by the minute to stay online).

Who the crap pays by the minute? I can't imagine why. For fifteen lousy
bucks a month, you can get unlimited time. That's a bargain for anyone in
our line of work.

2)
>don't post HTML or binaries.

Who can't read HTML mail? I can't imagine why not. It looks neat. Come on,
loosen up. Today's browser breakdown from StatMarket says that 78% of net
surfers use IE4 or better, and another 19% use Netscape 4 or better. That's
97% of everyone using browser which are free and which come with HTML mail.
Why not climb out of the stone age and join them?

3)
>The "why?" of the above guidelines has been done to death over the
>years, and believe me there's nothing much changed in the last few
>years that means that it's now better to put your response before
>the quote.

Do I care whether you quote before or after? I can't imagine why.
Personally, I prefer to intercalate a reply (intercalation is sticking your
stuff in between the other stuff, where it pertains, like this).

4)
>The ultimate answer to "why?" is that in following the above guidelines
>you are demonstrating a degree of courtesy and respect for the other
>people on the mailing list.

OK, so I try to remember to post plain text, just so that some unix geek
with the prickly heat does not burst into rant. That's for politeness. But
don't pretend that it matters. It doesn't. I am only interested in someone
who can make sense well put. Spell it right, put a verb in it, make it
short, get to the point. That matters. Whether he uses a GIF for his
cartouche or quotes Emerson at length for his closing motto is only his way
of dressing up his stationery. What's wrong with dressing up? I like color.
I even like a Hawaiian shirt, myself. Wear one two or three times a week.
Hey, I even like Emerson. He makes far more sense than an ascii emoticon.




Or, maybe I should put the question the other way around:

Why are unix gurus so enamored of plain ascii? It's just plain.


Aloha
R Davis