---------------------------------------- > Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2014 00:30:49 +1000 > From: st...@pearwood.info > To: tutor@python.org > Subject: Re: [Tutor] python libraries online > > On Thu, Jun 19, 2014 at 12:59:58PM +0000, Ian D wrote: >> What does top post mean? > > It means posting at the top of the reply, just as you have done here. > > When you reply to an email, the comments you are replying to are quoted > with greater-than signs> at the start of each line. There are three > basic places to insert your replies to the comments being quoted: at the > top, at the bottom, and interleaved through the middle. > > Here is an example. Suppose I write an email asking two questions: > > Hello, how long should I boil a soft-boiled egg? > And how many eggs in a dozen? > > > (I didn't say they were *good* questions.) You reply, and my comments are > quoted: > > === This is top-posting === > > Oh, about 3 minutes, depending on the size of the egg. > Twelve eggs. > > Steven asked: >> Hello, how long should I boil a soft-boiled egg? >> And how many eggs in a dozen? > > > === This is bottom-posting === > > Steven asked: >> Hello, how long should I boil a soft-boiled egg? >> And how many eggs in a dozen? > > Oh, about 3 minutes, depending on the size of the egg. > Twelve eggs. > > > === This is interleaved posting === > > Steven asked: >> Hello, how long should I boil a soft-boiled egg? > > Oh, about 3 minutes, depending on the size of the egg. > >> And how many eggs in a dozen? > > Twelve eggs. > > =================================== > > > For detailed, complicated discussions where people are replying to > multiple points, interleaved posting is by far the best. It is like > carrying on a conversation: > >> Question > Answer >> Question > Answer >> Point > Counter-point >> Question > Answer > > > The context for each answer is right there, next to the answer. It makes > the email *much* easier to follow when things get technical and > complicated. > > Top-posting and bottom-posting are okay for short, trivial responses > where the context is not very important, but sadly they also get used by > lazy writers who don't care about the people reading the email. > > (I hope I do not offend, but I've been dealing with email for close to > 20 years and in my experience there are a lot of lazy writers. If you've > ever asked somebody four questions in an email, and they've fired off a > reply answering one of them and ignoring the other three, you will know > what I mean.) > > Top-posting encourages short, snappy responses, where the context can > be inferred from the subject line or the first few sentences of the > quoted comments: > > > Okay see you there. >> Hey Bill, meet us at the pub tonight? > > > 2pm >> Sue, what time is the meeting today? > > > Yes. >> Do you want the 2TB hard drive or a 1TB hard drive? > > > But for technical discussions, short, snappy responses are often not > very good. A *discussion* may go back and forth over many different > points, not just one or two sentence replies. For this reason, in > technical forums like this one, interleaved posting is MUCH preferred. > > > > -- > Steven > _______________________________________________ > Tutor maillist - Tutor@python.org > To unsubscribe or change subscription options: > https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor
Ok and do I leave all this rubbish at the bottom? or edit it. Or is it bad practice to edit someone's text _______________________________________________ Tutor maillist - Tutor@python.org To unsubscribe or change subscription options: https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor
