Re: New Phone Doesn't Work on Nat Access

My experiences on Usenet only go back to 1997. Even then there was the ongoing argument over top posting and bottom posting.

A third group also became involved. They argued that no one should quote the prior poster because the reader only had to refer to the prior thread to see the message in chronological order. This group also argued that leaving another persons post within you new post caused problems for those who wanted 'x no archive' to be honored. (DejaVu was the name of the archive service back then, not Google).

There also was a fourth group involved in the argument. Remember, this was back when broadband was not as prevalent as it is today. This group reminded others that they had to pay for every bit of info that came onto their screen. Quoting text increased the size of each post and, in turn, the cost of their Internet access.

The never ending argument over top / bottom posting is on a par with a section of Gulliver's Travels. In it, two islands are warring over which end of an egg should be broken first. Each side is convinced that their's is the only way, so they continually fight. The pointlessness of their battle never dawns on them. The violence they use to try and force the opposition to accept their point of view is akin to the use of derogatory names tossed at those who will not conform here in Usenet.

The one argument that I felt was (and is) best to respect is the one involving honoring another posters desire to not have their posts archived. Also, there are still people reading forums using dial-up. They may not be paying for metered service but each quote added to a message lengthens the time of their downloads. Hence I try to avoid quoting prior posts. People using their cell phones to connect their PC's also are paying by the minute. They don't need to re-read something a second, third, or fourth time either.

The line in my prior post referring to "sticking it to the man" was a line from the cell phone commercial that 'some' find humorous. Being a cellular group, it also kept my post on topic. (Some won't get that joke either.)
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Relevant Pages

  • Re: Please help Me!!
    ... Bottom posters have generally been ... on Usenet long enough to get brainwashed by the bottom posting ... propaganda; 2-4 years. ... Usenet is slow to change but it is surely changing. ...
    (rec.autos.sport.nascar)
  • Re: Top posting
    ... Bottom posting is as old as the Usenet; ... when there are multiple participants in a thread. ... Such threads can run two dozen messages deep, ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.inetexplorer.ie6_outlookexpress)
  • Re: top-posting?
    ... Well, I have been posting on Usenet for many, many years and I have to ... there is a long-established preference on Usenet for ... > bottom posting and thoughtful snipping. ...
    (alt.cellular.verizon)
  • Re: Why doesnt the MSFT group include the post they reply too?
    ... If you want me to help you, you put up with the fact that I don't have time to be worried about bottom posting, nor do I LIKE bottom posting. ... You want help or do you want me to spend my hours that I could spend helping you studing 20 year old usenet rules to ensure I follow them? ... Now if you're saying that MS provides them with a tool that wasn't designed for proper Usenet functions, then I still can't accept that. ... Usenet was invented way before MS even learned about it, there are accepted norms that should be followed, and as a MS Partner I expect them to maintain the norms not pervert them. ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.server.sbs)