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Date:      Wed, 28 Nov 2001 14:22:23 -0600
From:      Mike Meyer <mwm@mired.org>
To:        Rahul Siddharthan <rsidd@online.fr>
Cc:        questions@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: Email Etiquette on this list
Message-ID:  <15365.18303.901189.957520@guru.mired.org>
In-Reply-To: <63173733@toto.iv>

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Rahul Siddharthan <rsidd@online.fr> types:
> Mike Meyer said on Nov 28, 2001 at 13:05:10:
> > Rahul Siddharthan <rsidd@online.fr> types:
> > > Now, the right answer: use your judgement (as always).  If you're
> > > replying to specific points, don't top-post.  If you're making a
> > > broader reply and there's no reason to make the reader wade through
> > > previous writing first, then by all means top-post.  Why not?
> > In that case, why bother sending the previous writing *at all*? 
> To provide a general context?

Email is quick enough that if it's a broad reply, they probably have
it. If not - it's in the archives.

> I agree it's not always appropriate (in fact it usually isn't) and
> it's irritating when the bulk of the message is an unedited quote of
> someone's previous message (but this is equally irritating when quoted
> on top, so it's a different issue).  I don't like rigid rules like
> "never do this" on matters of etiquette.

Actually, the only thing I think is a "never do this" thing is to dump
the unedited text of the message, whether on the top or the
bottom. Once you're at the point of editing it, you might as well turn
it into a coherent discussion.

Even if it's just a broad, general reply - someone may want to reply
to that. Might as well get them off to a good start while you're at
it.

Of course, if you're talking about the message instead of replying to
it, that's a different thing entirely.

	<mike
--
Mike Meyer <mwm@mired.org>			http://www.mired.org/home/mwm/
Q: How do you make the gods laugh?		A: Tell them your plans.

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