[Python-ideas] Posting style (original) (raw)

Mike Meyer mwm at mired.org
Tue Jan 10 20:25:21 CET 2012

On Tue, 10 Jan 2012 21:53:05 +1000 Nick Coghlan <ncoghlan at gmail.com> wrote:

The big pain though is answering email on a (not-so-)smartphone - I know the Android Gmail client places both cursor and signature above the quoted message, and fixing the formatting is annoying enough that the only two realistic choices are either top posting or not replying at all (and I'll often choose to wait until I'm back at a machine with a full keyboard for exactly that reason).

The android client K-9 is better behaved. I find it more usable in general than the Gmail client (or Google's mail client, for matter that).

To me, the real issue is proper editing more than where the quote winds up. If you're just going to fire off a quick quip, editing the quote makes it a lot more work. If you're actually taking time to think about what you're saying, then editing the quote is a minor bit of work, and may well help with the composition of the message.

Basically, top posting says "I didn't think about this, just shot off a reply." Bottom posting beneath an unedited quote says "I'm an old fart who didn't think about this, just shot off a reply." Taking the time to properly edit the quoted text says "I thought about what I'm saying, and took the time to remove the irrelevant."

Final comment: I saw a number of "My mail reader hides the quotes" replies. If "get a better mailer" is an acceptable response, then consider it used if your mailer makes top posting the easy option.

 <mike

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