David Collantes wrote:

Could everyone, please, learn how to quote [1 and 2]? Could we use plain text in our emails (this is not too important, but it will help)?

I normally feel the same way, but I have learned to love other peoples sloppy e-mail practices. I subscribe to more mailing lists then I have time to read, and find the following rules quite useful when deciding to read or skip a message. I quite simply skip messages that:

1. are top-posted;

or

2. quotes excessively;

or

3. are HTML

It's not a perfect system, but the correlation between people that has taken the time to learn how to use e-mail and people that has something worthwhile to say[1] is remarkable strong :-)

Bob

[1] Especially on mailing list covering e-mail related topics.

Brian Steere wrote:

Sorry, but I happen to prefer top quoting. I like being able to immediately start reading what the other person has to say as opposed to having to scroll down to read it.

~Brian

If you do nothing but sit and await the other persons reply, this works just fine. If you attend to other things and return to the conversation a few hours or even days later, a chronological flow of the conversation helps a great deal.

Try it in normal conversation. Walk up to somebody and tell them the answer to a question first, and then ask the question. The fact that they immediately got the answer will not help them understand you.

I have made it a habit to abandon threads that have been messed up beyond recognition by top-posting and abusive quoting. I simply can not be bothered to sort trough the mess trying to find the actual conversation.

-- R

Sorry, but I happen to prefer top quoting. I like being able to immediately start reading what the other person has to say as opposed to having to scroll down to read it.

~Brian

I like to refer to the little humorous joke about email quoting:

A: Because we read from top to bottom, left to right. Q: Why should i start my reply below the quoted text?

resume lurking, dan