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> My last thoughts on this subject:
>
> 1. Usenet is not the real world. Analogies with the real world are not
> valid.
Bullshit. The whole point of analogies is to compare two disparate
things to point out they're similarities. The point is that they *are*
disparate. Social skills apply in both Usenet and the real world, and
people still use social conventions to get along. We have conventions
that LOL stands for something as does AFAIK. Are you going to now come
out and say they stand for different things?
> 2. Many people top post because in many cases it is the logical way to post.
Look, there are times that top posting isn't a big deal. A line of text
at the top of a short post is probably fine. Of course a bottom post in
that situation would be fine as well. If the whole post fits on one
screen it's not too hard to figure out the flow. It's when you have
multiple screens and long threads that bottom posting becomes much more
convenient. There are times that interleaving (like this here) is
better. But most of the time bottom posting just works better for everyone.
> 3. Many people will post how they want and a few will bitch about it. Others
> will either read the posts or not.
Many people top post because they're new to Usenet and e-mail seems to
default to top posting and that's what they're used to. But e-mail is
different and top posting works better there (since generally you've
read all the quoted text previously). But try reading someone *elses*
long email message with multiple levels of top-posted quoted text, it's
a real pain! Most new usenet users listen to the advice, understand the
logic behind it, appreciate it, and play nicely with others.
> 4. Usenet is full of anal-retentive people who once read something and
> forever take it to be true when in reality everything changes. The language
> changes, the internet changes, cars change, morals change, everything
> changes. Deal with it.
Yes, things change. Usually to changes in the environment. But the
Usenet environment hasn't really changed that much (there's been a few,
like cancels basically being ignored now). Can you point out a listing
of these "changed" rules? Because we can fairly easily point out sites
with a listing of Usenet etiquette. Like here:
http
/www.html-faq.com/etiquette/
Note the first link. I swear to god this was the first google hit for
Usenet Etiquette.
> 5. If usenet cops feel enabled to call people out when they don't approve of
> the posting style, then they should expect the same treatment from people
> that are less regimented.
Huh? Nobody's calling anybody out, we're pointing out how make your
posts more readable for everyone (see link above).
> 6. You say what you want about Godwin's law, but the fact remains you usenet
> cops would have made fine Nazis.
Now you're just being lazy and stupid. If you're going to attempt to
flame, at least be more creative. It also makes no sense. The Nazi's
aren't known as evil because they enforced rules that people didn't
like, they're known that way because they tortured and killed people.
As someone with relatives who survived (and some who didn't) Auschwitz,
I find your casual use of the term "Nazi" more than a little offensive.
I know what a Nazi is (having heard 1st hand accounts), and we're no
Nazis.
> 7. It must be really tough going though life like you people do. You can't
> control the physical world so you try like hell to control the usenet world.
Look, if you want to throw a tantrum, go ahead. But you could try to
make some sense? I like people I have to deal with to at least attempt
to act polite. It's not that big of a request. It has nothing to do
with "control".
> 8. I would bet that most of you usenet cops were only children. I would
> further bet that if I looked in your kitchen cabinets all the glasses would
> be lined up in a perfect grid.
Heh, I'm lucky if I get them out of the sink at night. And yes, at one
point 20 years and more ago I was a child, though I don't know if I'd
characterize it as "only". But I think your assertion is backwards.
Most people who appreciate consideration of others and politeness are
*older* not younger.
Honestly? This whole posting discussion isn't that big a deal to me, I
typically just ignore posts that are constructed poorly. But you made
this into an academic exercise. You have yet to explain why people
*shouldn't* bottom post whilst we have explained or linked to places
that explain why it's significantly better not to top-post (amongst
other things).
Randy S.
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