Adrian Stott wrote: > Threading is *not* posting-related; it is topic-related.
WRONG > The purpose of threading (which is very useful) is to group all > postings on a single topic together. That topic is WHAT IS STATED IN > THE THREAD'S SUBJECT LINE. If you want sub-topics treated grouped > separately, then change the subject line when replying and thus start > a new thread. > > Copying text from more than one posting into a single reply posting > does not interfere with the way *any* forum (list, ng, web-page > discussion) software works. This suggestion would outlaw much of the > current (and normal) quoting in discussion. Yes it does. You proved this fact today"elsewhere", by miss quoting something I said and attributing it to someone else. This was because the threading structure had prevoiusly been destroyed by you snipping bits from several posts. > Such copying allows a significant reduction in the number of postings > (which improves readability and usability) and allows various > (often-related) aspects of a thread discussion to be related (which > improves the discussion, and indeed is often vital for it). Think of > the converse. If there are two on-topic postings within a thread, one > making point A, another point B, and A and B are related, then the > suggestion would apparently require three replies -- one to A, one to > B, and a third with the discussion of the inter-relatedness. That's > just goofy. > > In other words, this suggestion is inappropriate, is inconsistent with > the concept of a discussion, and would degrade this forum. Destroying the thread structure by cross-snipping between posts distorts and destroys discssion and as I have mentioned ends up with a misquoted mess. There is no problem interleaving a response to ONE posting (this does NOT destroy the thread structure). If a threaded responce has become unwieldly or you want to reply to one salient point, then snipping away from that ONE posting does NOT destroy the thread structure. -- Neil Arlidge Barge Maurice A / NB Earnest TNC http://www.tuesdaynightclub.co.uk/tour.html
