[CentOS] Nerd rage (Was: IPV4 is nearly depleted, are you ready for IPV6?)

Wed Dec 8 16:55:41 UTC 2010
Simon Billis <simon at houxou.com>

> -----Original Message-----
> Responses inline.
> 
> > Jerry Franz wrote:
> > > On 12/08/2010 07:03 AM, Scott Robbins wrote:
> > >> Honestly, I had no one in mind.
> > >> I remember in an effort to get a life outside tech, I joined a
> > >> mailing list for something else.  I hadn't realized how
> > most people
> > >> top post, don't trim, and still use aol.
> > >
> > > It really is worth noting that the bottom-post convention
> > used on many
> > > technical lists *is not* how most of the planet now does email or
> > > other
> >
> > The damn thing is a conversation. Top posting is talking over
> > everyone else.
> 
> I had a customer blast me about inlined responses, it drove me bonkers.
> I was
> responding to 15 individual questions.
> 

I think that the missed point here is "obey the rules of the list" (I'm
ignoring customers who find it hard to read ;-) ). If the rules state bottom
posting only then that's it, no arguments. If you don't like the rules don't
post/join etc.


> >
> > > electronic communications. The rage we see here over it is
> > really just
> > > another technical 'religious war' by people who don't
> > tolerate change
> > > well. In reality, it doesn't matter much for most things either way
> > > and far more harm is done by the howling over it than using either
> > > convention actually causes.
> >
> > So, we should put up with rudeness and obnoxious behavior?
> 

I think that this http://catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html should be
read in conjunction with the list rules. This helps to explain why some
questions elicit things that might be considered rude.

On other lists that I  subscribe to they also take a dim view of top posting
- specifically for the reasons of readability, i.e. top posting makes it
difficult to pick up a thread mid conversation.

Anyway, that's just my two-penneth worth...

Simon.