Re: [Boost-users] top posting, was boost::proto helpful for a compiler project?

Subject: Re: [Boost-users] top posting, was boost::proto helpful for a compiler project?
From: Scott McMurray (me22.ca+boost_at_[hidden])
Date: 2009-01-26 22:21:26

On Mon, Jan 26, 2009 at 21:14,  <raindog_at_[hidden]> wrote:
> I know its a rule, but I think it is dumb. My phone does not even support botting posting for example, does that mean I'm not allowed to post to this newgroup?  my guess is that it started off with a few people wanting to separate themselves from others by usage of arbitrary rules in order to obtain some form of "l33tn3$$" without having actually considering the merits or lack thereof ubtil after their motives were question in which scenario artificial ones were created to support the habbit.
>

Perhaps it's designed in part to increase post quality by making
people post from full-fledged email clients where they're more likely
to consider their responses and less likely to omit
apostrophes/capitalization/spelling.  Regardless, the rules have
served well so far, and thus are unlikely to change just for someone
who doesn't want to develop "botting posting habbits [sic]".

> There has been the argument that if you were ob a forum that they go by bottom posting but again modern mail clients support threading anyways, and I don't know about you, but I can't recall the last time I was reading a forum and every post included included the entirety of the posts to the thread prior.
>

Nor should a post to this message group.  That's covered under "Don't
Overquote" at the same link that talks about preferring
bottom-posting: http://www.boost.org/community/policy.html#effective

> Lastly, why would you ever want to pick up a thread by reading the middle of it? Using the forum analogy, one would be hard pressed to find someone whose month was to always read a thread by starting on page 12, so, group by thread and read from the start
>

Having the necessary -- and no more -- context is extremely helpful
when answering an email that just arrived, since most people on the
list follow many threads at once.  Forcing dozens (or more) readers to
all search for the context is far less efficient and far more error
prone than just having the sender make it clear.  Again, the same link
says something similar, under "Well-Crafted Posting is Worth the
Effort": http://www.boost.org/community/policy.html#effective