Re: bottom posting

[Nicholas Jankowski]

On Fri, Jun 23, 2017 at 12:29 PM, Oliver Heimlich <address@hidden> wrote:

Hi Cpt. Obvious,

I am writing this reply from the default mail client on my mobile device. I can't even select parts of your original mail.

I don't remember how old this is, but it's relevant, especially the Q&A demonstration at the end. maybe we could set a bot to default reply with the link to anyone topposting:

"Top Posting and Bottom Posting"

http://www.idallen.com/topposting.html

Regarding email clients, since we know that Google controls all things Internet: Gmail, along with it's standard use of conversation view, implemented automatic quoted text hiding.  This was useful since in a conversation view you'd see the same text a dozen times. When you hit reply, you're taken to a blank reply dialog, with a little three dots icon at the bottom. clicking those dots reveals all of the quoted text, indented if your in RT mode, > if you're in plain text mode. It will even give multiple sections of <...> if it sees a match. It now does this the same way in the mobile app.

We've had some posters using gmail not even know the <...>  was there to click on.  The quote hiding fixes many of the problems described in the link above _as long as_ you're viewing the email in conversation mode. It effectively automates the desired effects of bottom-posting. If everyone in the world used gmail, or 'quote hiding conversation mode' email clients, the issue would disappear.

In gmail, replying to any group wanting bottom posting requires clicking the <...>, highlighting all the text you don't want to requote, then deleting and appending your reply.  This is easy enough on a desktop.  It's quite annoying on a mobile touchscreen. Requests for a default bottom-posting option on Google help forums has gone the way 99% of requests go on Google help forums. Also, most other email client users aren't given such convenient options. New users would have no way of knowing this group's conventions.

The result:  expect all new users to toppost. expect all long time users to have to ask new users to bottom post. expect there to be many conversations with long repeat quotes. and expect there to be periodic musing conversations about top and bottom posting.

nick j