Re: Mark editing location in a file

[Jannik Lindquist <janniklindquist>]

Hi Bob,

Sun, 12 Jan 2003 13:39:49 -0600 (CST) you wrote:

> PS: (As evidenced by my treatment of this exchange), I STRONGLY disagree 
> with those who urge us always to erase the message we are replying to, when 
> we reply.  Messages posted to the list are expected to be read by many 
> people other than just the addressee.  They are usually of interest to many 
> others.  But when the message being responded to is erased, the reply is 
> often incomprehensible to anyone but the intended addressee.  Deleting the 
> whole exchange, if it is not of interest, is usually a matter of a single 
> keystroke.

First of all, you arguing against billions of users experience
accumulated since the dawn of the internet. That experience tells us
that if an archive containing messages such as ours it is usefulness is
extremely threatened when list members do any of the things I have been
asking people not to. Chief among them is quoting entire messages when
replying. You just try to go the web-based archive of this list and try
to search a message - you'll see loads of irrelevant search results
because every useful point is repeated ad infinitum in messages quoting
more than is necessary.

You are completely correct - the messages are supposed to be read by
lots of other subscribers to the list. But how would your trimming your
replies prevent them from understanding what you are replying to? You
are supposed to *trim* your quotes to contain the information relevant
for understanding what you are replying to - not delete them entirely.

Finally, you suggest that I - and sensitive souls like me - delete the
entire exchange if it is not of interest. It is not a question of
interest *at all* - it is a question of readability, "storability" and
searchability of the list-messages. I can be highly interested in a
discussion and yet hate the over-quoting taking place in it with all my
heart. Your solution to that dilemma is that I delete the whole
discussion! You even state that it would only be a matter of a single
keystroke! I try to follow five different lists and recieve hundreds of
mails a day. If I were to follow your absurd suggestion and delete all
over-quoted messages, it would certainly not be a matter of a single
keystroke!


-- 
Best regards,
Jannik Lindquist