[sllug-members]: netiquette: top posting

[D. E. Evans]

   I use a different email address for them, and it defaults
   to top-posting.  I use this email address for techies and
   mail lists.  It defaults to bottom posts.

In a world where there aren't threads, email or USENET, then I
imagine top-posting would not be a big deal, because it wouldn't
exist.  In that case, why would we need reply buttons/commands?

People know how to read and write now (usually); we're in a new
era of the darth of computer literacy *and* manners (as Stuart
referenced, the September that *never* ends).
   
   Oh, and just to start another battle (c'mon Aaron Toponce,

Troll!  :-P

   chance to champion plain text emails), I set the other email
   address to send html by default and this one to format plain
   text.
 
I'll bite.  Aaron and I are of the same opinion on this score
(as far as our discussions have shown.  Aaron, correct me if
I mis-speak).  Plain text is the most accessible, which is why
plain text (US Ascii in the English world) is better by default.
However, I am not against HTML+RichText emails, as long as they
are properly MIME (or UU) encoded, *and* you have considered your
target recipient as being OK to receive that format, (or requests
that format).  This is common courtesy, good manners.

A mailing list, for instance, is public, therefore there is no
suitable reason to *not* send plain text.  I imagine there are
exceptions, for instance alt.microsoft.outlook.lovers would do
great with a default HTML+RichText, with no text alternative,
setting.  Then again, the text alternative rarely preserves
an equivalent formatting of the HTML+RichText original in any
MUA I know of; it is not to be relied on.  Plus, it's a bunch
of meaningless extra content for the plain text recipient (and
nasty for mailing lists, especially with digests).  Email clients
that are still maintained in this century have the capability
to differentiate in their address books between HTML+RichText
receivers and plain text receivers.

Personally, I find plain text easier to format (and I know
that what *I* see is what *you* get), and simpler to read (than
decoding HTML+RichText, or figuring out broken encodings), but
that's another conversation.