[Python-ideas] Meta: Email netiquette

[Steve Dower]

FWIW, from my phone the previous email is completely ineditable and I can't even delete it. Hence my signature, putting the blame firmly where it belongs ;)

That said, we basically always use top posting (with highlighting - a perk of formatting in emails) at work so I'm fairly used to it. The way that I read the mailing lists (oldest to newest by thread) also works better with top posting, since I'm permanently trying to catch up rather than carry on a conversation. The problems then are people who don't snip (though people who do snip are also problems... can't win here) and especially those who reply to one part in the middle of an epic and don't sign off, leaving me scrolling right to the end to figure out if they have anything to say.</complaining>

Cheers,
Steve

Top-posted from my Windows Phone
________________________________
From: Stephen J. Turnbull<mailto:stephen at xemacs.org>
Sent: ‎6/‎12/‎2015 18:53
To: Andrew Barnert<mailto:abarnert at yahoo.com>
Cc: python-ideas<mailto:python-ideas at python.org>
Subject: Re: [Python-ideas] Meta: Email netiquette

Andrew Barnert via Python-ideas writes:

 > But really, in non-trivial cases, you usually want your reply
 > interleaved with parts of the original; just jumping to the very
 > end of the message (past the signature and list footer) and
 > replying to the whole thing in bulk isn't much better than
 > top-posting.

Wrong. :-)  *Bottom*-posting is *much* worse.

For better or worse, top-posting is here to stay.  It doesn't work
very well in forums like this one, but it's not too bad if you do it
the way Guido does (which of course is one of the reasons we can't get
rid of it<wink/>).  The basic rules:

1.  Don't top-post, and you're done.  If you "must" top-post, then
    continue.

2.  Only top-post short comments that make sense with minimal context
    (typically the subject should be enough context).  If it's not
    going to be short, don't top-post (no exceptions -- if you've got
    time and the equipment to write a long post, you also are not
    inconvenienced by using the interlinear style).  If it requires
    specific context presented accurately, don't top-post (no
    exceptions, as your top post will certainly be misunderstood and
    generate long threads of explaining what you thought didn't need
    explanation, wasting copious amounts of everybody's time and
    attention, and probably burying your contribution in the process).

3.  Indicate in your text that you top-posted -- preferably with a
    sincere apology.  If you're so self-centered that sincerity is
    impossible, an insincere apology is recommended (otherwise you'll
    probably end up in a few killfiles for being Beavis's friend).

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