RE: [cobalt-users] top posting? My last comment on the subject. No really - this time I mean it.

[Robert Brownback <bobski@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 05 Apr 2001 19:45:52 +0200, Dom Latter wrote:
> 
> Frankly I find the following - "never in my 15 years of using the 
> Internet have I ever heard of *not* using "top posting." In every 
> group I've been involved it was *preferred*!" - incredible. In the 
> literal sense.

Obviously my age makes me either an out-of-touch Old Fart, or my
'historical' perspective flew right over the heads of some here. 

At first there was no such thing as quoting (anyone remember mail?).
Because of bandwidth concerns most email was short. When quoting arrived
it was frowned on because the resulting message length would use
precious bandwidth. It was generally preferred that the quoted message
be at the bottom - if at all - merely as a convenience to the recipient.
With the advent of usenet and the long conversational threads that
ensued, quoting became acceptable if used judiciously. It was accepted
that if the message to which you were replying was short and contained a
single point, place your reply at the top. In reality, as long as you
kept the message succinct, nobody really cared how you composed it. But
then, most of us also knew how to write.
 
This was *my* experience. YMMV, yadda, yadda.

And no, I've never heard of bans on "top posting." How is that
incredulous?

> In my opinion, at the time that RFC was written, the top-posting 
> argument did not exist. 

True, "top posting" and "bottom posting" are recent terms, to me anyway.

> However what it does say is:
--snip--

I have no problem with what it says, nor did I ever state such a
position. The FAQ, however, implies other than what is actually
contained in the RFC.

And to Phoenix Hawk who complains about Microsoft products "top
posting": Have you never heard of pine? It was around long before MS
shook the grogginess from its monstrous head and woke up to the
Internet. Need I describe it's default quoting mode?

And last: Have I ever "broken the rules", even my own guidelines? Yes -
I'm human -- sue me.