On Saturday 12 October 2002 09:11 pm, SuSEnixER wrote:
* Steven T. Hatton
[10-12-02 19:23]:
It is now time to take a stand. Top-posting, that is, posting ones reply above the quoted text, is a symbol of darkness. It represents evil. To knowingly violate the traditional standard of internet decorum is to willingly partake in the darkness. I therefore must declare that, heretofore, all who top-post with full knowledge of the above recounted history will be declared 'Windoze Users' and shall be shunned by all who honor the good and noble traditions which created the Internet.
I declair this missive true and accurate, but failing to address the other mortal sin in the traditional world of usenet and mailinglist. That sin is "failing to trim inappropriate and/or irrelevant text" from the quote.
Besides detracting from the continuity and accuracy of the conversation, it is rude and selfish. There are still individuals who must pay for time and/or traffic online.
I agree with your position on this, with the qualification that this is a far more subjective matter. Top-posting is a fairly clearly defined matter. Pruning for relevance is very much more a matter of opinion. STH