On Mar 31, 6:52 am, Tony Mechelynck <[email protected]>
wrote:
>
> I believe it wouldn't have been such a flood if you hadn't been so
> adamant in defending top-posting as the only valid format, and later as
> the only one available to you, because your (IMHO braindead) device
> wastes everyone's bandwidth for the (egotistical) purpose of sparing
> bandwidth between your device and its server.
>
It may be true that the lack of an option to control posting style on
certain devices is a design flaw. However, it is not the fault of the
user of such devices. I personally think we should make exceptions for
those that top-post not out of ignorance, but rather out of a
technical flaw. If I remember, Derek's first post that I responded to
him about was actually a very useful tidbit of information, or at
least exposed a common misconception. I don't think we should
eliminate otherwise useful contributors simply because they can't
follow our prescribed format.
> As someone already said: get a real computer, in Rome do as the Romans,
> and you won't be burned at the stake.
>
Perhaps, as someone has suggested, a better solution would be to not
quote any text automatically at all. Or, use the web interface. Or,
start each email with a statement like "I'm sorry for top-posting, I
know this is not usual list procedure, but I can't configure my XXX
device to bottom post" and a later responder can trim as needed.
The final suggestion might be a bit controversial, but it does have
some advantages:
1. It alerts us that the poster is trying to respect our policies, is
unable to, but still wants to make a meaningful contribution
2. It alerts readers of the thread that we DO have policies, and they
should follow them if possible
3. It does not drive away contributors for reasons (somewhat) beyond
their control.
I think making exceptions in rare cases like Derek's will help with
the "polite" vs. "informative" balance.
BTW, this is nothing to get emotional over...we're basically talking
about which side of the bread to butter (if you've read obscure Dr.
Suess books). Let's tone it down a little, Tony and Ivan.
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