Re: The charter for this newsgroup

On 29 Dec 2005, bbulsara23_at_hotmail.com wrote:
>
> How about we revise the charter to exclude the clause on top posting.

I'd say no and I'd introduce a clause on trimming.

> Apart from some users preferences, and perhaps a weak argument about
> bandwidth, why is their so much aggression about top posting?
> Regardless of what the charters for this newsgroup say, people are
> still going to top post it because not only is it natural, it is the
> way some news clients work by default. It is also accepted behaviour
> in many, maybe even most, other newsgroups.

Top-posting or bottom-posting doesn't matter if one is so lazy as to not trim out unneeded text. If one doesn't trim, then it is actually better for that poster to top-post because then the reader doesn't have to scroll the entire post that one has already read in an earlier part of the thread. Trimming means leaving the relevant pieces of text and responding to it.

If one does trim, then one already will bottom-post, or more likely, will intermingle their replies and they will do this naturally.

> Although if asked I would prefer people didn't cross post, I find it
> even more annoying having to read single messages saying "Stop cross
> posting", stop this, stop that. I would like this newsgroup to contain
> information on Oracle, not newsgroup preferences, and to reduce the
> possibility of further flame wars in c.d.o.s and c.d.o.m.

When I visit the microsoft newsgroups there is none of that because they all use the ridiculously limited Outlook Express which prompts people to top-post and not trim. But, I'm there for help and they are knowledgable so, at the end of the day, I don't really care.

I'll say this, once you intermingle your replies, as I've done here, you will not be able to top-post because it makes no sense. If you don't there is just another reason for you not to at all.

-- 
Galen Boyer