On Wed, 27 Oct 2004 20:12:33 -0400 Andrew <cmkrnl@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: Hi Andrew, > > A: Because people read from top to bottom. > > Q: Why is top posting bad? > > > > Even though this is off topic... > But if you read the _thread_ from top to bottom maybe you wouldn't > need to have the thread reproduced _in_ every message. If reading the > thread is too much trouble, then maybe the reply is not worth the effort. I think it is good to quote the *relevant* part of the posting you are replying to in a reply: - it makes a reply easier to understand: you can put your reply lines exactly under the right line of the original text if necessary. - people might not have the part of the thread or the original posting available anymore because they already deleted it (maybe some time ago already). Providing the relevant context makes a reply much more useful by itself. - if this this relevant context is in an email it is also much easier to use it stand-alone. For example by forwarding it to someone or storing it. Of course always quoting the *complete* post you are replying to is very bad. But not as bad as top posting of course .. :-) greetings, Rob van Nieuwkerk