Saucy said:
Robots would simply flood the
newsgroup with random garbage. Hundreds in a day etc. etc.
I certainly agree that the junk, spam, and general abuse of all
internet communications (e-mai, newsgroups, chat, etc.) is a HUGE issue
that should be prosecuted. At the very least, ISPs and other agencies
need to know they will be appreciated for fighting it off.
But, I'm right. It's not really top / bottom / in-line or poetry posting
that the big issue. It's the SPAM, robots and trolls that are completely
busting up what were once very good groups for discussions regardless if one
were a neat bottom poster or a top poster.
Well, you're bringing up a wholly separate issue that is larger than
the one we were talking about, but it doesn't negate any of the other
thread. It's merely a different issue in a different context.
On non-Microsoft groups I quickly learned to bottom post as that was how
most regulars at non-icrosoft newsgroups preferred it. On Microsoft servers
I usually top post as that's how the regulars like it. Bottom posting is
almost like trolling when the group starts with microsoft.*
Anyway, for me, the big issue was the SPAM and robots ruining the groups. At
least at the Microsoft groups much of that is mercifully blocked. And
Microsoft hasn't stated whether top or bottom is preferred.
They did in their white papers on the subject. They may not be
acknowledging that in public any more, but that may be because they
haven't fixed the problem.
Top tends to be easy to read if one has the thread already
in mind. Bottom lines things up well and makes archival reading easier ..
That's a reasonable summary of the issues. Provided everyone reading it
is already participating, and no one else arrives, and no one snips out
any followed thread, top-posting could work.
So how do you post when you can fairly assume that there are many
others, people not in the thread, and people just arriving, that will
be reading it?
